Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – Do I have to pray every day? Many of us wrestle with some form of this question throughout our Christian lives. If we are asking whether it is our duty in order to earn God’s blessing, the answer is no. Christians should remove words like earn, merit and deserve from their vocabulary when speaking of our acceptance in Christ.
Many Christians quietly wonder: do I really have to pray every day? The question often comes from feeling that prayer is a heavy duty. This article helps us see daily prayer as a privilege more than an obligation. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
If we are asking out of desperation, wanting to experience God’s presence to strengthen our faith, empower us to follow Him and deepen our joy in Him, then the answer is yes. We don’t ask, “Is it my duty to breathe every day?” We breathe every day to live! There are duties in the Christian life, but duty is not what drives us to pray. An intimate relationship with God will never flourish in an atmosphere dominated by a sense of obligation.
If our main desires in life are health, wealth and good-looking children, we will not feel spiritually hungry. If we long to love God with all our hearts, experience Him and become more like Christ, we should feel a daily “hunger” that drives us to pray.
I know of few better examples of earnest, desperate prayer than David’s in Psalm 63, where we see his head knowledge of God become an experience of the heart.
Prayer Involves Longing
This psalm was probably written while David was fleeing for his life from the king, or from his son Absalom. Often it is the hardships of life that reveal our spiritual hunger. In Psalm 63, David prays in the midst of adversity. But merely going through the motions of prayer was not enough for him. He was not satisfied to say, “I checked the box for my daily time with God today.” There is a thirst in his prayer to connect with God, like a man in a dry desert longing for water (Psalm 63:1). Is this how we cry out to God in prayer?
He remembers times when he worshiped God so intensely that he could “see” God’s glory with the eyes of faith (Psalm 63:2). He meditates in prayer on God’s character and works.
Then David recalls that God’s loving devotion is better than the most wonderful life he could imagine (Psalm 63:3). He would rather be in a cave knowing God’s love than in a palace far from Him. Interestingly, in this whole prayer David does not ask for any material blessing (not that there is anything wrong with that). He does not ask for Jerusalem to be restored or for physical peace and prosperity. He simply wants to worship and experience God. These are the top desires of his mind and heart. Is that true of us?
Prayer Involves Satisfaction
As David begins to remind himself of the unshakable steadfastness of God’s love, he begins to praise God again. In Psalm 63:5, David is saying to focus on God in prayer until our hearts begin to worship, as if feasting on the richest of foods. When he could not sleep at night, he worshiped instead of worrying, so that his heart was filled with joy.
He reminds himself of past deliverances. He feels like a little chick, warm and safe, hidden under its mother’s wings (Psalm 63:7). David has a sense of God’s nearness and protection, not just academic knowledge of it. This is one of life’s greatest joys. It is worth persevering in daily prayer to experience more of it.
Prayer Involves Dependence
Many of us think about salvation in a static way like this: I trust in Jesus. You can’t lose your salvation. God’s job is to bless me. I’ll try not to commit any “too big” sins. Now I can coast in my spiritual life. Everything will be fine. Scripture never teaches this.
Instead, God urges us toward a living faith. He longs for us to have a life of earnest prayer and wholehearted dependence on Him. This does not mean a prayer life in which we work hard in our own strength to twist God’s arm into blessing us. Nothing could be further from the truth. His help sustains our dependence.
Prayer Involves the Cross
We may often feel that earnest daily prayer is a duty we must keep up to build a spiritual résumé so that God will treat us well. According to Scripture, we should see ourselves as weak, needy and still sinful in heart (Romans 7:15). If that is true, we should not be confident in ourselves that we will live faithfully for God each day. We must wake up and ask Him to fill us with the Holy Spirit.
The point is not to pray “hard enough” so that God will come down and answer us. The point is to linger in prayer long enough to preach to ourselves the truth of God’s strength and salvation. The best way to hold on to God more tightly is to focus on how tightly Christ held on to us at the cross.
Starting to Pray Every Day
Start simply: five minutes each morning to thank God, offer Him the new day and pray for one person. Praying every day does not need to be long or eloquent; it needs to be honest.
You can also pray in small moments: on the way to work, before meals, before an important meeting. Gradually, prayer will become the breath of your spiritual life.
You may also like: 5 Powerful Prayers From Scripture and Daily Devotional Time in 5 Simple Steps.
Prayer
Father, thank You that we can draw near to You through Jesus. Give us a desire to pray every day, not out of duty but out of love for You. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Translation Team – Communications Ministry, Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church
Adapted from: DesiringGod.org
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