How are you doing with your New Year’s resolutions? We have passed the point in the year where many people let their resolutions slide. Since we are one quarter of the way into 2025, it is a good time to review the primary resolution that I presented to our church. If you regularly attend NorthStone, you probably remember this resolution.
At the top the list of sins committed by the 21st century American Church is prayerlessness. Of course, good Christian men and women have written books on other sins of the church, like being overly pragmatic or over-contextualizing Scripture so that the commands in it no longer apply to us, or giving into woke ideology, or accepting serious theological compromise. However, allow me to quote an old preacher here.
“The worst sin is prayerlessness. Overt sin, or crime, or the glaring inconsistencies which often surprise us in Christian people, are the effect of this, or its punishment. We are left by God for lack of seeking Him. The history of the saints shows often that their lapses were the fruit and nemesis of slackness or neglect in prayer.”
The preacher was right. For all the mistakes Jesus’ disciples made, one thing they did right is to understand their lack of maturity in this matter of prayer. In Luke 11, the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Lord teach us to pray.” They were not primarily asking Jesus to teach them how to pray. Instead, their request was He would teach them to engage in regular prayer. Our clue is that they asked Jesus to teach them “as John also taught his disciples” (v. 1). Apparently, John the Baptist taught his disciples to engage in prayer fervently and frequently. Jesus’ disciples wanted to pray like that. Perhaps they knew they did not pray regularly like they knew they should. We know from the Garden of Gethsemane that the disciples had a problem with falling asleep when they were supposed to be praying. Their request that Jesus teach them to pray was admitting that their major problem was prayerlessness.
The surrounding context of Luke 11 makes this interpretation very clear. Jesus used the word “importunity” in Luke 11 when he addressed the disciples’ request. Jesus explained that the disciples needed to continue praying and not stop; to keep seeking and not stop; to keep knocking and not stop. They needed to pray with boldness and shamelessness. In other words, they needed to pray with importunity. 2025 must be a year of prayerful importunity for Christians all around the world.
Do you remember the end of Luke 10? Just before Luke 11, Jesus taught on “one thing [that is] needful” (Luke 10:42). While Martha was encumbered about with much serving, Mary did the right thing by spending time with Jesus. The primary thing that is needful in Jesus’ day is still extremely needful in 2025. The “Martha mentality” within many of us claims we're too busy doing important things to take time to be with Jesus. Beware of that mentality. You and I have nothing more important to do than to spend time with our Lord. If Jesus tarries his coming, 2025 will provide a fresh opportunity for us to prioritize our prayer time.
Now that we better understand the importance of prayer, here are a few practical suggestions for prioritizing prayer. First, remember that things that get scheduled they get done. So, we should assess our weekly responsibilities, then pick a time and place to set aside for prayer and Bible reading. Once we have confirmed those details, we must plan to protect that time; we should make that place sacred. Another practical suggestion is to write out each of your daily prayers. This way, at the end of the year you have a record of 365 written prayers. These prayers don't have to be lengthy; after all, the model prayer recorded in Matthew 6:9-13 is only 65 words. The prayers that you take time to write out each day may be fewer than a hundred words. However, the discipline of writing out prayers will help you on many levels. One advantage is that you will be more intentional about your prayer time, as opposed to being disorganized, falling asleep, or mentally distracted from the many things that demand your attention. Writing out a short prayer every day will not only help you be focused while you communicate with God, but it will also give you a record of your conversation with Him.
Second, consider writing half of your prayers as praise and the other half as petition. For example, on the first day of the month your written prayer could exclusively adore and praise God. Then, the second day of the month you could begin asking God for the things that you believe you need. In this pattern, the odd days of the year would be praise days, while the even days of the year would be petition days. The purpose of alternating days is that, instead of just asking God for stuff all year long, we will take equal time to adore him. Our tendency is to treat God like a cosmic Santa Claus instead of our Master, Creator, and Lord who is worthy to be humbly, thoughtfully, and intentionally praised. An additional benefit of writing prayers of alternating praise and petition is that it will become progressively easier to think of prayers of praise. With a record of petitions to review, and a list of things you asked God for, you will more easily recognize when God grants your requests and have yet more motivation to praise Him.
It has been rightly said that there is no greater apologetic for the Christian faith than answered prayer. Nothing will strengthen your Christian faith more than asking God to meet your or a loved one’s need and then, after He meets the need, your taking time to recognize it. If you make prayer and praise a habit throughout 2025, your faith in Christ will be strengthened. Whether you follow this pattern I have suggested or create your own, the reward will be worth the discipline.
Let me give three final cautions about prayer in 2025. One caution is found in James 4: beware of asking amiss. That is, don’t pray prayers rooted in selfishness or greed. Do your best to pray biblically informed prayers. Another caution is found in Matthew 6: beware of praying for others to see. The hypocritical Pharisees were guilty of this; their prayer life became a vain attempt to achieve earthly recognition. Finally, beware of praying with unconfessed sin in your life. Consider Psalm 66:18 and 1 Peter 3:7. With those cautions in mind, find a prayer journal and fill it with daily praises and petitions. “This one thing is needful” in 2025. May this be a year that Christians all over the world pray with importunity, for God’s glory.
The above article was written by Pastor James C. Johnson. He is the pastor of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, Fl. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
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