Daily Devotional
Resist the Sloppiness of Casual Prayer

October 4, 2020

Ponder This

One thing I’m trying to cure myself of is casual prayer. Prayer that’s not intense. Prayer that costs little.

Do you know that the Bible calls prayer “wrestling”? When Paul said, “That you strive together,” the picture is one of a wrestling match.

Have you ever thought of prayer as wrestling? If you really get into intercession, you’re going to find out that the devil will fight you and oppose you. Prayer is work. I’d rather preach for an hour than to pray for a half an hour, as so far as the labor that it takes for genuine prayer.

How much genuine agonizing do we do in prayer? I love Jeremiah 29:13, where God says, “And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Seek Him in prayer with frequency and fervency of the prayer. Sometimes we don’t feel like praying so we pass it by. But friend, if there’s ever a time you need to pray, it’s when you don’t feel like it.

Practice This

Ask yourself: “How much genuine agonizing do I do in prayer?” Search for God with all your heart. Pray even when you don’t feel like it. Pray not only frequently but fervently.