Why pray every day? Because we need to remind ourselves of our position in Christ every day.
At the beginning of our Christian life, or after a Christian convention, we are motivated to pray every day. After all, that’s what the Bible commands, right? “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NASB). In the prayer taught by Jesus, it is a question of asking God for our daily bread, so we must pray daily. This is what Jesus did, every morning (Mark 1:35). But after a few days of good intentions, we skip a day. We feel guilty: lack of prayer is probably the “sin” that Christians confess to God most often. But the pace of life leads us to respond to the requests of those around us in a whirlwind that makes us deaf to the voice of the Holy Spirit, until the next Christian convention or book, when the whole process starts over again.
To help us persevere in prayer, we must stop seeing our devotional time as just a good habit, like going to the gym. When we remember what prayer produces in our daily lives, we are more motivated to keep up the pace.
1. We need to unburden ourselves daily
When we pray, when we lift up our needs to God, it is to place them in His hands. We were never designed to bear the weight of daily demands. “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31-32 NASB). When a challenge monopolizes our thoughts, we need that time in the day when we place that need on God (1 Peter 5:7). We need to remind ourselves daily that God is taking care of it. Worries may come back during the day, so it is important to go back and unload each day so that these worries do not multiply from one day to the next.
2. We need to repent daily
It is always easy to find mistakes in others, but Jesus exhorted us to always start by looking at our weaknesses first. “Why do you look at the [a]speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3 NASB). If we take the time daily to repent of our sins or bad habits, we will remain in a state of humility. We will also be much more careful about our actions during the day. When we do a daily introspection to see what needs to be changed or improved in our lives, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, we avoid becoming puffed up with pride.
3. We Need the Direction of the Holy Spirit Every Day
We may have our entire day planned out. Our boss or children may have planned it for us too! It’s easy to start our day in “action” mode, by starting the tasks on our list. But it’s good, once a day, to remind ourselves that this list will never end. “Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the advice of the Lord will stand” (Proverbs 19:21 NASB). We need to let the Holy Spirit look at our to-do list and rearrange or change it according to His wisdom.
4. We Need to Put the Enemy in His Place Every Day
Living in the physical world, we often forget the spiritual world around us. “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:11-12 NASB). God has given us authority against all the powers of darkness, we must use this authority and break down the walls that the enemy erects between us and God’s blessing. We stay more alert to the spiritual world if we take the time to break the enemy’s plans daily.
We need all of this daily. Praise can help us in this process. Let us take the time to make this adjustment each day, to take back our place as a child of God, submitted and victorious. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will [a]worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34 NASB). Let us give to God what is God’s, take from God what He has provided for us, and this, daily.