Prayer Priority
By Capazin Thornton
A priority is that which is first in order of importance. In the Bible the real kingdom movers and shakers, if you will, were those whose first priority was daily worship, fellowship, and communion with God.
People with a Prayer Priority
While there are many examples of people praying, I believe those most demonstrating a habit of prayer are Jesus of Nazareth and Paul the apostle.
Jesus’ Prayer Priority
Most times we think of Jesus’ earthly ministry in terms of His amazing works of casting out demons, opening blind eyes, healing the incurable, and raising the dead. We love to focus on His powerful sermons, engaging parables, and miraculous deeds. We tend to overlook the fact that behind His dynamic public ministry was a private life of consistent prayer.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray by precept and example. He freely communicated with and stayed in constant fellowship with God the Father. Mark’s Gospel says, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mk 1:35).
Luke writes that Jesus went up into a mountain and “. . . continued all night in prayer to God” (Lk 6:12). John records the Lord’s Prayer where he prayed for Himself, His disciples, and all believers. (Jn 17)
As the result of staying in communion with Father God and yielding to and relying on the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ found the fortitude and strength to endure incomprehensible suffering and a gruesome death on the cross, all for our sins. Christ Jesus is the best example of one who prayed at all times and completely trusted and submitted to the will of God the Father.
Paul the Apostle’s Prayer Priority
The most prominent “pray-er” in the New Testament is the apostle Paul. His letters are full of prayers, thanksgiving, and praise. This apostle did not just talk about prayer, nor did he simply write about it. He did not merely exhort others to pray. Paul prayed heartfelt, boiling point prayers, “. . . night and day praying exceedingly. . . ” (1 Thess 3:10)
After he became a Christ believer, Paul suffered great persecution at the hands of the Jews. Five times he was severely beaten with whips and three times with rods. One time he was stoned and left for dead. He was shipwrecked three times and capsized in the sea for a night and a day. He suffered hunger, thirst, sleeplessness, fatigue, and perils by land and sea.
Yet, Paul’s letters to the churches express great joy and faith in the Lord. Paul not only knew the Holy Scriptures, he knew the love and faithfulness of the God of the Scriptures.
Paul found out “many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivers him out of them all” (Ps 34:19). He discovered that God’s grace is sufficient. (2 Cor 12:9) Paul was a man sold out to constant, unwavering prayer.
Getting Priorities Straight
If we want God to move in our lives, we have to move with God. His priorities must become our priorities. Let us rededicate ourselves to seize every opportunity, day and night, to passionately seek after the Lord and fervently pray, praise, and offer thanks to Him for all people. (1 Tim 2:1-4)
How has making prayer a priority changed your life or that of someone you prayed for?
Please feel free to share your comments.
An excerpt from the author’s book, High Call to Pray.
Capazin Thornton is a Christian speaker and author in Orange County, California.
