Our prayer motivator verse from the Word of God today is Luke 6:12 which reads: “And it came to pass in those days, that he [Jesus] went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.”

Allow me to share with you some important points regarding this verse from Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

Jesus was long alone with God: He continued all night in prayer. We think one half hour a great deal to spend in the duties of the closet; but Christ continued a whole night in meditation and secret prayer. We have a great deal of business at the throne of grace, and we should take a great delight in communion with God, and by both these we may be kept sometimes long at prayer. In his family we have him nominating his immediate attendants, that should be the constant auditors of his doctrine and eye-witnesses of his miracles, that hereafter they might be sent forth as apostles, his messengers to the world, to preach his gospel to it, and plant his church in it. After he had continued all night in prayer, one would have thought that, when it was day, he should have reposed himself, and got some sleep. No, as soon as any body was stirring, he called unto him his disciples. In serving God, our great care should be, not to lose time, but to make the end of one good duty the beginning of another. Ministers are to be ordained with prayer more than ordinarily solemn.

My personal encouragement to you today is that prayer invites God’s power into our lives, our families, our communities, our churches, and our countries like nothing else can. When we pray, we are openly acknowledging that God can do the things that He says He can do, and we are opening the door for Him to accomplish those things.

Our prayer motivator quote today is from C.H. Spurgeon. He said: “A prayerless church member is a hindrance. He is in the body like a rotting bone or a decayed tooth. Before long, since he does not contribute to the benefit of his brethren, he will become a danger and a sorrow to them. Neglect of private prayer is the locust which devours the strength of the church.”

Our prayer motivator devotional today is part 12 of our series titled “PRAYING THROUGH” from Dr. John R. Rice.

THE BIBLE GIVES EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE SAVED INSTANTLY WITHOUT “PRAYING THROUGH”

The woman at the well of Sychar in Samaria was saved as Jesus talked to her. When Jesus led the woman to be convicted of her sins and said unto her, when she mentioned the Messiah in John 4:26, “I that speak unto thee am he”, the woman at once left her waterpot and ran away to win others to Christ and to bring the men out of the city to see Him! There was certainly not any mourner’s bench, any wailing and pleading and begging before she was saved!

We are told that many of the Samaritans of the city were saved even before they could get out to see Jesus. And others, just as soon as they got out to the well and heard Him, were saved and told the woman so!

In Luke 18:13-14, Jesus tells about the conversion of the publican in the Temple in the following brief words: “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

A prayer of seven words, and the poor sinner went home already saved! Certainly there was no so-called “praying through” there.

+ Plus, listen to Stephen Curtis Chapman singing “Let Us Pray”Avalon singing “If My People Pray”

Our prayer motivator verse from the Word of God today is Jeremiah 33:3 which reads: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”

Allow me to share with you some important points regarding this verse from Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

When the heavens and the earth were finished, then, and not till then, the creator is called Jehovah. How this comfort must be obtained and fetched in—by prayer: “Call upon me, and I will answer them.” The prophet, Jeremiah, having received some intimations of this kind, must be humbly earnest with God for further discoveries of his kind intentions. He had prayed, but he must pray again. Note, those that expect to receive comforts from God must continue instant in prayer. We must call upon him, and then he will answer us. Christ himself must ask, and it shall be given him. I will show thee great and mighty things (give thee a clear and full prospect of them), hidden things, which, though in part discovered already, yet thou knowest not, thou canst not understand or give credit to. Or this may refer not only to the prediction of these things which Jeremiah, if he desire it, shall be favoured with, but to the performance of the things themselves which the people of God, encouraged by this prediction, must pray for. Promises are given, not to supersede, but to quicken and encourage prayer.

My personal encouragement to you today is that it is a crime for a head of household to leave their house without first praying with their family.

Our prayer motivator quote today is from J.C. Ryle. He said: “And here it is, I say it with sorrow, here it is that men fall short so miserably. Few indeed are to be found who pray: there are many who go down on their knees, and say a form perhaps, but few who pray; few who cry out to God, few who call on the Lord, few who seek as if they wanted to find, few who knock as if they hungered and thirsted, few who wrestle, few who strive with God earnestly for an answer, few who give Him no rest, few who continue in prayer, few who pray always without ceasing and do not grow weak. Yes: few pray! It is just one of the things assumed as a matter of course, but seldom practiced; a thing which is everybody’s business, but in fact hardly anybody performs.”

Our prayer motivator devotional today is part 11 of our series titled “PRAYING THROUGH” from Dr. John R. Rice.

THE BIBLE GIVES EXAMPLES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE SAVED INSTANTLY WITHOUT “PRAYING THROUGH”

The second way to prove that a sinner need not pray through in order to be saved is by Bible examples. And Bible examples, just as surely as Bible precepts and promises, show that when a sinner is saved, he is saved instantly, without a long period of mourning or pleading trying to touch the heart of an indifferent God or trying to work up his own soul to the proper state so God can save him.

How delightfully simple are the cases of salvation described in the Bible! Note in John 1:40-42 how Simon Peter was saved:

“One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”

When Peter got to Jesus, he was saved because he got to Jesus in the heart as well as in the body.

Philip was saved, evidently, when in John 1:43 Jesus said, “findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.”

Then we learn of the salvation of Nathanael. The new convert Philip went and got Nathanael and brought him to Jesus. One question to Jesus and all his doubts were removed and Nathanael was saved according to John 1:45-49. In those cases there was certainly not any time of mourning, wailing, weeping, and begging to get saved.

+ Plus, listen to Avalon singing “If My People Pray”

Our prayer motivator verse from the Word of God today is James 5:17 which reads: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”

Allow me to share with you some important points regarding this verse from Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

This instance with Elijah of the extraordinary efficacy of prayer is recorded for encouragement even to ordinary Christians to be instant and earnest in prayer. God never says to any of the seed of Jacob, Seek my face in vain. If Elijah by prayer could do such great and wonderful things, surely the prayers of no righteous man shall return void. Where there may not be so much of a miracle in God’s answering our prayers, yet there may be as much of grace.

Our prayer motivator quote today is from John MacNaughtan. He said: “[Prayer] is generally neglected; just as if the clear statements of Scripture regarding the potency, the almost miraculous efficacy of prayer, were designed as a pillow on which the church might slumber, rather than as a mighty stimulus to rouse to heroic achievements and urge on to glorious efforts in the cause of the Redeemer.”

Our prayer motivator devotional today is part 11 of our series titled “PRAYING THROUGH” from Dr. John R. Rice.

Years ago at Marquette Manor Baptist Church in Chicago, a young man came forward wanting to be saved. He was from Tennessee where they were accustomed to the mourners’ bench and to long waiting on God and begging God for salvation. His mother had shouted when she was saved; he, too, felt he must shout or he would not know he was saved. I told him that he only had to trust Christ. Then I asked dear Mr. Frank Sheriff of the Christian Business Men’s Committee to take the Bible and show the young man how to be saved.

They went to the inquiry room and spent a good long while together. After the services this young man came back with Mr. Sheriff. The Bible had done its blessed work. He shook my hand and said, “Brother Rice, I don’t feel like I wanted to feel, but the Bible says I am saved!”

You may be sure he was saved. When he trusted in Christ, he got everlasting life. If he went on to serve the Lord and win souls, and grow in grace, he had all the joy and blessed emotion that he needed. But the emotional crisis is not the sure proof of salvation. Simple trusting in Christ’s Word, in His blood, in His love, in His atonement, is the one sure way to be saved.

+ Plus, listen to CeCe Winans singing “Anybody Wanna Pray”

Our prayer motivator verse from the Word of God today is James 5:17 which reads: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”

Allow me to share with you some important points regarding this verse from Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

The power of prayer is here proved from the success of Elijah. This may be encouraging to us even in common cases, if we consider that Elijah was a man of like passions with us. He was a zealous good man and a very great man, but he had his infirmities, and was subject to disorder in his passions as well as others. In prayer we must not look to the merit of man, but to the grace of God. Only in this we should copy after Elijah, that he prayed earnestly, or, as it is in the original, in prayer he prayed. It is not enough to say a prayer, but we must pray in prayer. Our thoughts must be fixed, our desires firm and ardent, and our graces in exercise; and, when we thus pray in prayer, we shall speed in prayer. Elijah prayed that it might not rain; and God heard him in his pleading against an idolatrous persecuting country, “so that it rained not on the earth for the space of three years and six months. Again he prayed, and the heaven gave rain.” Thus you see prayer is the key which opens and shuts heaven.

We will discuss this verse further in the next broadcast.

Our prayer motivator quote today is from D.A. Carson. He said: “What is both surprising and depressing is the sheer prayerlessness that characterizes so much of the Western church. It is surprising, because it is out of step with the Bible that portrays what Christian living should be; it is depressing, because it frequently coexists with abounding Christian activity that somehow seems hollow, frivolous and superficial.”

Our prayer motivator devotional today is part 10 of our series titled “PRAYING THROUGH” from Dr. John R. Rice.

So we see that the Bible promises never picture salvation as a long, drawn-out process of those who plead long enough, who mourn long enough, who persist until they touch the heart of a careless and indifferent God. By all the promises of the Bible, the sinner who turns in his heart to trust Christ is instantly saved. So praying through for a lost sinner is never necessary to his salvation.

Do not misunderstand me. I did not say that those who wait long before God and pray much never get saved. I am sure that they often do. But they never get saved until they trust. And if they had put the trusting at the first end of their pleading instead of at the last end, they would have been saved at once, and would have saved all that delay, that sinful rejection of Christ while they pleaded.

The one sure and blessed way to be saved is to take God’s Word for it that when you in your heart turn from sin to trust in Christ Jesus, you already have everlasting life.

+ Plus, listen to Jessy Dixon singing “I Know What Prayer Can Do”

Our prayer motivator verse from the Word of God today is James 5:17 which reads: “Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.”

Allow me to share with you some important points regarding this verse from Matthew Henry’s Commentary:

The great advantage and efficacy of prayer are declared and proved: “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” whether he pray for himself or for others: witness the example of Elias. He who prays must be a righteous man; not righteous in an absolute sense (for this Elias was not, who is here made a pattern to us), but righteous in a gospel sense; not loving nor approving of any iniquity. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear my prayer.” Further, the prayer itself must be a fervent, in-wrought, well-wrought prayer. It must be a pouring out of the heart to God; and it must proceed from a faith unfeigned. Such prayer avails much. It is of great advantage to ourselves, it may be very beneficial to our friends, and we are assured of its being acceptable to God. It is good having those for friends whose prayers are available in the sight of God.

We will discuss this verse further in the next broadcast.

Our prayer motivator quote today is from The Kneeling Christian. He said: “The great Heavenly Banker will not cash checks for us if our motives are not right. Is not this why so many fail in prayer? Christ’s name is the revelation of His character. To pray “in His name” is to pray in His character, as His representative sent by Him: it is to pray by His Spirit and according to His will; to have His approval in our asking, to seek what He seeks, to ask help to do what He Himself would wish to be done, and to desire to do it not for our own glorification, but for His glory alone. To pray “in His name” we must have identity of interests and purpose. Self and its aims and desires must be entirely controlled by God’s Holy Spirit, so that our wills are in complete harmony with Christ’s will.”

Our prayer motivator devotional today is part 9 of our series titled “PRAYING THROUGH” from Dr. John R. Rice.

In Romans 10:13 we are told, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

But to call, in the sense of that verse, simply means to call once. It is not a prolonged begging and pleading. Nothing like that is taught in that verse or any other Bible verse. The soul that asks Jesus for mercy gets it. The very asking is simple evidence of the faith in the heart, a willingness to receive what God has long been offering the sinner. It is not that any certain outward calling is necessary to salvation, for it is not. Rather, one who calls on the Lord shows, proves he has trusted. In the following verse, Romans 10:14 explains, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?”

One who calls on Christ has already trusted Him, and the calling is simply the evidence and proof of the faith that instantly saves. The one who calls has already trusted.

Again, a similar thought is involved in the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:32, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”

One who claims Christ is saved. Certainly, it does not take long to own or claim Christ. Again, it is not the confession that saves. Joseph of Arimathaea was a disciple of Christ, and was saved, though he was a secret disciple and had never openly confessed Christ. Confession does not save. Rather, it is the proof that one has trusted Christ in the heart. As little time as it takes a poor sinner to claim Christ as Saviour, in less time than that he has looked to the Saviour, trusted Him in the heart, and has been saved.

+ Plus, listen to Daniel White Jr. singing “Prayer”