Matter of the Heart
There are two duties of a Christian that guarantee success or failure; they are a life of prayer and a life of study. On these two, your maturity as a person and the manifestation of the promises hang. In fact, I believe that most of our trouble and our problems can be traced back to the poverty of our prayer life and the scarcity of our study life. If your life lacks discipline, dedication or determination; then it is probable that you do not have a life of prayer and study. This means that the remedy to most of our trouble and problems will be developing a discipline for prayer and study
Following Jesus in the days of His flesh, we are struck by the prominence and priority He gave to prayer. Jesus was a man of prayer. And this trait or characteristic is what He desires to be evident in the life of you and me. In Luke 17, Jesus concludes a discourse on the last days and the fact that He would be coming again. He likened the last days to the days of Noah – that they would be difficult days that would not be conducive to faith. Then He talked to His disciples about a life of faith in days that are devoid of faith. The next chapter begins with these words: “Then He spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not to lose heart (Luke 18:1 NKJV).”
We are living in days as He indicated when men’s hearts are failing them for fear and frustration. That is the reason why prayer is so pertinent and significant. The King James Version reads, “He spoke a parable unto them to this end,” that is, for this purpose: that men should always pray and not lose heart. He opened two alternatives to anyone who is living in difficult, depressing, and discouraging days. You and I must choose to do one of the two. Men in difficult days will either lose heart or they will pray; either there will be days of fear or days of faith.
The priority of prayer is continual and consistent throughout scripture. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are encouraged to “pray without ceasing (NKJV).” In Matthew 5:44 we are told to “pray for them which despitefully use you (KJV).” In Matthew 13:33 we are instructed to “watch and pray (KJV).” The priority of prayer is continual and consistent throughout the scripture.
What does a life of prayer mean? This does not mean you are to go to an all-day or all-night prayer meeting, though at times this is needed and necessary. However, a life of prayer is more an attitude of life than an action of the lip. Prayer is a matter of your heart.
Learn to pray by sharing God your heart.