Why does Luke 18:1 say that “…men ought always to pray, and not to faint?” We ought to always pray because we need it. As Christians, we go through various stages in our Christian lives. Sometimes we may feel a great need to pray and run to fall at God’s feet. Sometimes we may simply know we should, so, unfortunately, we casually go into God’s presence. And sometimes we may even feel like our heart isn’t in the right place to pray (maybe because of a sin), so we avoid prayer or put it off. The truth is that we always need to pray, even when our heart doesn’t “feel” right. We need prayer because we need God, and prayer is the instrument of repentance.
“Fainting” in Luke 18:1 refers to us giving up on a prayer request we have already brought before the throne, but as an application, without God’s sustaining hand in our lives, we will faint in our daily walk. Prayer can and will influence the heart and mind of a child of God, and can break down the walls that we erect between God and ourselves. Charles Finney said, “Men ought always to pray because, they always need the influence of prayer. Consider what is implied in prayer and what prayer does for you. Prayer bathes the soul in an atmosphere of the divine presence. Prayer communes with God and brings the whole mind under the hallowed influence of such communion. Prayer goes to God to seek pardon and find mercy and grace to help. How obvious, then, that we always need its influence on our hearts and lives. Truly, we need not wonder that God should enjoin it upon us to pray always.” A hurting heart will heal when coming in prayer before our healing God, a hard heart will soften when coming in prayer before our forgiving God, and a needy heart will be sustained when coming in prayer before our providential God. Why did God tell us to pray often? It is because He knew we would need Him always. (By Josh Wilcox)
