Attend to Prayer

Yesterday we began a series in which we will observe Jonathan Edwards' advice to new converts.

We saw yesterday his first piece of advice was: to be diligent in the things of religion.

Today we'll see his second piece of advice to new converts: Attend to Prayer.

Think of this, if there is advice that Edwards could think of to encourage new believers in the Messiah as well as to help equip them to grow in Christlikeness and mature in their Christian walk, the second on his list is to pray, diligently.

Let's discuss this and prove it Scripturally.


1 Thessalonians 5:17 17 pray without ceasing;


Ephesians 6:18-19 18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,


Psalm 5:2-3 2 Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to Thee do I pray. 3 In the morning, O LORD, Thou wilt hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to Thee and eagerly watch.

It is Edwards's advice that believers should not only pray, but attend to prayer. What does he mean by this?

Edwards simply means that by attending to prayer, we faithfully, passionately, diligently, constantly, lovingly, humbly, honestly, openly, thankfully and worshipfully pray to the Living God. This is what is entailed in attending to prayer.

Remember, prayer is NOT simply what I want for myself or for others. Though it may include this, at times. Have you ever noticed in biblical prayers that very rarely in the Scriptures to you find petition for others' illnesses and hurtings? Sure they pray for strength, ask for boldness when sharing the gospel. But the main content of the prayers in the Bible is that they all focus solely on the person and character of God. They spend the first half and the last half of prayer praising and thanking God for who He is. Then in the middle they will confess sins and recognize how short they have fallen from God's glory.

Do you pray like this? Or are your prayers always prefaced with, "I ask that you give me...," or "Lord, would you grant...," or "Father please do this...or do that...". This is not what biblical prayers are. Though it is not wrong to pray for such things, IT IS WRONG IF WE FORGET THAT WE MUST ASK FOR THESE ONLY IF THEY BRING GOD THE GREATEST GLORY.

If my prayers do not fit into God's perfect and glorious will, then I must be satisfied to hear a "no" answer.

So with all that to say, trust God, and let him know it. Pray to God, passionately. Thank God for who He is, constantly.

May this be the driving force of our life and the sustaining grace that gets us through it.