Is It Time To Pray?

Read: Philippians 4:1-7

In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. --- Philippians 4:6

The Bible In One Year:
Philippians 1-4

When people face trials, they often turn to prayer only as a last resort. I knew a man who was fighting a valiant battle with cancer. As people observed the gradual effect on his body and lifestyle, one person said, "Well, they've tried everything else. I guess it's time to begin praying."

Another man was going through an extremely difficult time at work. It was a crisis of major proportions that had ominous implications for him and for the future of his company. He just couldn't resolve it. Finally he said, "I've tried everything I know to get through this situation and nothing has worked. It's time to start praying."

In both of these instances, prayer was seen as a last-ditch effort to resolve the problem. Only after all other options were eliminated did the person decide to pray. It was a desperate "grasping at straws."

Instead of prayer being a last resort, it should be one of the first things we do. The Lord answers prayer, and He wants us to come to Him continually with all of our needs [1 Thessalonians 5:17]. The Bible tells us to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer ... let your requests be made known to God" [Philippians 4:6].

So don't wait. It's always time to pray. --- Dave Egner

Any hour when helping others
Or when bearing heavy care
Is the time to call our Father ---
It's the proper time for prayer. --- Zimmerman

PRAYER SHOULD BE OUR FIRST RESPONSE RATHER THAN OUR LAST RESORT.