ICS Daily Devotions
Prayerlessness Is Costly
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJV) Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.
Amid the unrest that we see in the different parts of the world, prayer actually plays an often-overlooked part in creating a quiet and peaceable life for us. We shouldn’t adopt a passive attitude in just letting things happen. Instead, we should actively uphold everything in prayer so that we can enjoy our lives in the places where we live.
In the opening passage, the Apostle Paul was exhorting the church to pray for all men, kings and all who are in authority. Peaceable lives are more possible when there are godly kings or authorities governing the land with wisdom. Therefore, there is an urgency for us to offer daily supplications for them.
In fact, the lack of prayer and intercession by the church for their city and country is one of the main reasons for the deterioration in society. We must be careful not to leave God out of our lives, because we will easily compromise with the world as our society becomes increasingly anti-God and anti-Christian. This happens when we are self-sufficient, take things for granted, proud and elevate reasoning above our trust in God. Pride will hinder us from reaching out to God in prayers because we will be more prone to taking things into our own hands rather than relying on God. It is unfortunate that many people will only approach God when the issues in their lives are beyond them and they desperately need God to turn things around. What they don’t realise is that during the times of their prayerlessness, the environment around them has become more hostile towards God.
True humility is seen in how we carry ourselves before God and man when we are at the pinnacle of success. It will come out in our speech and action, and affect our attitudes towards God. The best posture before God is humility, because it will help us to be reliant on Him in difficult times and thankful for Him in good times. It is when we are humble before Him that we will seek to walk out His will, practise His Word, take time to be in His presence and yield to His prompting to pray even on occasions when it is inconvenient. When He is truly the Lord of our lives, we will avail ourselves to the Lord to pray for others, and respond to the exhortation to pray for all men and those in authority so that we will be able to lead a quiet and peaceable life.
Sermon Series: A Quiet and Peaceable Life
