DON’T TREAT PRAYER LIKE A SPARE TIRE

Mike Johnson

 Do you spend a lot of time thinking about the spare tire in your automobile?  Many people do not.  In fact, many do not even check to see if they have a spare tire in their trunk.  However, there is a time when all attention is focused on the spare tire, and that is when one of the other tires goes flat.  Suddenly, in this emergency, the spare tire gets much attention.

Many people treat prayer in the same way that they treat their spare tire.  They  neglect prayer most of the time and only turn to it in cases of an emergency.  Prayer is not a part of their lives, but it is just something that they occasionally turn to when there is some great need.

Prayer should be an important part of the life of a child of God.  It should not be an occasional endeavor.  Jesus prayed a great deal, and we are to be followers of Jesus.  The question has been raised, “How can a prayerless person be a follower of Him who prayed so much?”

I Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”  This does not mean that we are to be involved in nonstop prayer.  Instead, “without ceasing” means that we are to be regularly involved in prayer.  We are to never abandon it; it is to be a part of our lives.

Another important passage is Romans 12:12.  This passage says that we are to “continue instant” in prayer.  The ASV translates “continuing steadfastly in prayer,” while the NASB says “devoted to prayer.”

We need to make sure that we do not treat prayer like people generally treat their spare tires.  Prayer should not simply be something to which we turn in an emergency.  Instead, it should be an important part of our lives.