CONTINUE IN PRAYER

 

EVENING DEVOTION by James Smith

AUGUST 17

 

Colossians 4:2

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

 
Prayer is always necessary, and it is always profitable.
 
But we often restrain prayer before God.
 
This is sinful.
 
It dishonors God, and it injures us,
 
In prayer we do homage to the perfections of God.
 
We exercise faith on his omnipresence.
 
We express our dependence on him for our supplies.
 
We evince the sincerity of our profession.
 
We acknowledge our poverty and weakness.
 
We unburden our mind with our secret trails.
 
We give vent to our feelings of joy and sorrow, of gratitude and grief.
 
We confess our sins, acknowledge our backslidings, and obtain pardon and restoring of grace.
 
We give utterance to our desires, and spread our case before the Lord.
 
Prayer is the medium of communication between God and our souls; we communicate our thoughts, feelings, fears, and desires; and he communicates light, strength, comfort and grace to us.
 
Prayer is a very important duty; it is a great privilege.
 
Many things will conspire to lead us to neglect it.
 
But in prayer we should be constant—fervent—believing—hoping—incessant.
 
God loves it, Satan hates it, and every true Christian values it.
 
It is always necessary—profitable—and acceptable to God.

 

We perish if we cease from prayer,

Lord, grant us power to pray!

And when to meet thee we prepare,

Oh! meet us by the way.

 
James Smith