ARE YOU TOO BUSY TO PRAY?

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

OCTOBER 29, 2023

TOPIC: ARE YOU TOO BUSY TO PRAY?

BY T. O. BANSO

“Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (Luke 18:1 New King James Version).

Spend quality time in personal prayer. Don’t let a busy schedule crowd out prayer from your life. Avoid a situation where your work schedule will make you prayerless. Don’t wait until you’re in trouble before you turn to God in prayer for deliverance. Don’t wait until the arm of flesh is failing you before you run to God for strength.

1 Samuel 2:9b says, “No one will succeed by strength alone” (New Living Translation). There are things that your strength cannot achieve or your possessions and people cannot get you. “No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength” (Psalm 33:16-17 New King James Version).

Luke 18:1 says, “Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart” (New King James Version). This does not mean that you lock yourself inside or continually be in public prayer meetings praying without going to work or fulfilling your other responsibilities. It means that you should pray habitually, frequently, on all occasions, perseveringly, or at all times, and not give up, be discouraged, or become weary. Be constant in prayer. The reason some people don’t pray always, as Jesus says men should pray, is busyness. Are you too busy to pray?

The prophet in 1 Kings 20, who disguised himself with a bandage and talked to King Ahab of Israel to deliver God’s judgment to him for letting go out of his hand the man (King Ben-hadad of Syria) whom God had devoted to destruction, said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone” (1 Kings 20:39-40a New King James Version). He (representing Ben-hadad) should have given priority to the prisoner he was assigned to guard. What other thing was more important than that having been told that he either died or paid a fine of seventy-five pounds of silver if the prisoner escaped?

There are some things you must make time to do no matter how busy you are. A Christian must pray always. Don’t get too busy doing something else at the expense of prayers. Don’t lose what you’re supposed to be watching over in prayer. Pray always. Don’t request people to pray for you and not pray for yourself. How can you be sure the people you are sending prayer requests to are praying for you?

Your work or business can never be a substitute for prayer. Also, prayer is not a substitute for your work or business. Work but also pray. Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). The less you pray, the more you are prone to falling into temptations. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to pray that they would not yield to temptation but that God would deliver them from the evil one (Matthew 6:13a).

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41 New King James Version). The devil likes prayerless Christians. He doesn’t mind if we talk about prayer or about praying, but he doesn’t want us to pray. He would rather have you complain than pray. “If Christians spent as much time praying as they do grumbling, they would soon have nothing to grumble about” (Anonymous).

Are you too busy to pray? Don’t get carried away by whatever you’re doing for God or what God is using you to do in His Kingdom. The devil isn’t too bothered by that. He is a very patient being; he can afford to wait until he can succeed in making you fall into temptation – he is not in a hurry at all. He will keep looking for an opportune time to strike.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 says, “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (New King James Version).

Are you too busy to pray? The less you pray, the more anxious you become. Pray, don’t be anxious. Anxiety will drain you spiritually. Philippians 4:6-7 counsels, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (New King James Version).

According to 1 Peter 5:7, you should cast all your care upon God, for He cares for you. Seek the Lord’s strength in prayer; don’t run out of energy by feeling self-sufficient. “Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore!” (1 Chronicles 16:11 New King James Version). As Psalm 37:5 says, commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.

Some people used to pray but are now discouraged because of delayed answers or some negative occurrences despite previous prayers. Many are battle-weary and are confused. They’ve prayed but nothing seems to be working. Such people must never give up. They should return to the place of prayer. As Jesus said in Luke 18:1 I referenced earlier, men always ought to pray and not lose heart. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says to keep on praying or pray without ceasing. Never stop praying.

Don’t be too busy to pray for yourself, your family, others, and your country. In Isaiah 62:1, Prophet Isaiah says, “For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns” (New King James Version). It is biblical to pray for your country, including those running its affairs, because their policies and programmes can affect you positively or negatively. In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul said, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (New King James Version).

The Prophet Samuel, in his farewell address, told the Israelites that he would certainly not sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for them (1 Samuel 12:23). Paul said he did not cease to pray for the Colossians (Colossians 1:9). No matter what the situation looks like, never stop praying for your country.

Don’t be too busy to pray alone and with fellow believers. Pray continually. The answers to your prayers will come at the right time if you don’t faint or give up. Never stop praying for yourself, your family, others, and your country.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, help me to manage my time well to have adequate time to pray for myself, my family, others, and my country. In the name of Jesus, a busy schedule shall not crowd out prayer from my life. I will pray and I will work; one won’t replace one for the other in my life in Jesus’ name.

(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org