The Cost of Prayer
What is the cost of prayer? Just do a Google search on “Verses about prayer,” and you will find commands and promises such as these:
- 1 Chronicles 16:11 – Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
- Psalm 145:18 – The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
- Jeremiah 29:12 – Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
- Romans 8:26 – In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
- Ephesians 6:18 – And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
- Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- Colossians 4:2 – Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
It should be clear that God wants us to pray. It should be clear that God’s wants us to pray in every situation, and for every need. It would probably be difficult to find any situation for which you could not pray, or any need for which you should not pray.
But did you ever stop to think about what happened to make it possible for us to confidently bring our requests before our God? Warren Wiersbe explains:
“Not only does prayer connect us with a great God, but the very privilege of prayer is ours at a great price. Jesus Christ had to suffer and die on the cross to make it possible for us to approach the throne of grace to worship and to pray (Heb. 10:19–25). When he finished his redemptive work on earth, Jesus arose from the dead, ascended to the Father in heaven, and began his work of intercession on our behalf. To neglect prayer is to cheapen everything Jesus accomplished for us at Calvary and is doing for us now in glory.”[1]
Think about that. Thank Him for the incredible gift He has given us, not only in sending His Son to die on the cross in our place, but also for opening the doors of heaven to us, and, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).
Go Deeper
- Jesus’ 7 Last Cries From The Cross – Package Offer
- Cries from the Cross Book
- Join the JA Show Inner Circle
- Warren W. Wiersbe, On Earth as It Is in Heaven (Baker Publishing Group, Kindle Edition), p. 13, emphasis added. ↑
