As believers in Jesus, what should our prayer life look like? Is it a simple desire or also an obligation through obedience?
Consider the 5th positive commandment as enumerated by Maimonides:
P5 – “To pray, as Exodus 23:25 states: “And you shall serve God, your Lord.” This service is prayer.[1]” (other Biblical references are Deut 6:13; Deut 11:13; Deut 13:4)
Prayer will be an important point as we continue through the 613 commandments of Torah. We will see that God commands it in more than one way when viewed culturally. Service to God in prayer should be as natural as breathing. We can’t function without Him so we should seek to connect with Him in every moment and for every event both big and small.
Consider a few of the numerous verses passed down to us by the Apostles that not only encourage prayer, but demand it for the life of a Disciple.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 (TLV)
17 pray constantly,
Jude 20 (ESV)
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit
James 5:16 (TLV)
16 So confess your offenses to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
I can go on, but it is blatant that the Disciples of Yeshua are expected to be in constant prayer. The aforementioned 1 Thessalonians and James verses are both said in the imperative. They are quite literally commands to pray. Even when Yeshua was teaching his Disciples to pray He said “when you pray…” not “if you pray.” There was no option given – it was an expectation.
As part of your walk with God as a Disciple, you must be obedient and live out a life of prayer. This isn’t a favorite pastime, it’s a demand of our King. When you pray – not if. Our lives depend on God. I have a long way to go in this respect. I pray regularly, but I’ve slacked off in this practice and I have work to do to return to that constant place of prayer. Regardless of whether our life is in great shape or not going so well, our first response should be to get on our faces and seek the will of God.
Philippians 4:6 (TLV)
6 Do not be anxious about anything—but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.