The Power of Prayer – No Other Option
It's day 6 of Lent, and as we continue journeying with the Wesleys, we're going to look this week at the means of grace – ways in which God's grace is channelled to us. Let me share some words from John Wesley from his document entitled "Minutes of Several Conversations", in 1744: "God does nothing but in answer to prayer, and everything with it. Every new victory which a soul gains is the effect of a new prayer... Whether we think of, or speak to, God, whether we act or suffer for Him, all is prayer, when we have no other object than His love, and the desire of pleasing Him."
The Power of Prayer
Wesley was saying that it is prayer that forms the basis of our Christian lives. It is in prayer that we receive the grace of God in a particular way. I like how he said that for the Christian, whether we speak of God or to God, it is prayer. Isn't that a wonderful thought? That speaking of God is a form of prayer? He also said that whatever we do for God is essentially prayer, if we are doing it with a heart of love for Him.
Lent is a time of fasting, but it's important to note that fasting without prayer is probably not spiritually beneficial. Sure, if you want to fast for physical health reasons, that's fine. There's nothing wrong with that. But when it comes to Lent or other Christian fasts, prayer is an important element to keep you focused. The fasting must lead to more prayer, otherwise it is a fast without the outpouring of God's grace.
Devoting Time to Prayer
Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians and said "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." (Colossians 4:2). That's a good blueprint for Lent. It's a time that you devote to prayer, being watchful of those things you identified in your self-examination, and being thankful for the many ways God is pouring Himself into you. Let's go deeper in prayer this season! Let's not just fast or carry on as normal. But let's prepare for Easter this year with much prayer.
Back in the 1800s, if people wrote anything down with ink, they had to wait for the ink to dry before turning the page. Then somebody invented an ink blotter, which could hurry up the process. You could blot the ink so that it dried up and you could carry on with your work. But James Gilmour, a missionary in Mongolia refused to use a blotter when he wrote his notes in his diaries. He made it a rule that when he got to the bottom of any page he would wait until the ink dried and spend that time in prayer.
What do you do when you 'wait for the ink to dry', so to speak, in your life? In those little moments of quiet, of pause? Do you scroll Instagram or TikTok or YouTube or Facebook or WhatsApp? What if you devoted those moments to prayer instead?
Remember, Wesley said God does everything in response to prayer, and nothing apart from it. Go deeper in prayer this Lent. What victories are we missing out on, because we are not taking the time to be with God in prayer?
