Daily devotion – One great regret!
The Wonder and Neglect of Prayer
The first chapter of Genesis reveals the power and majesty of Almighty God. It is He who created the heavens and the earth, and all things within them.
Yet as I was reading the Gospel of Matthew during my devotions today, I came across a passage that struck me afresh. It reminds me that this same Almighty God not only hears our prayers—He desires to answer them!
Matthew 21:21–22
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done.
And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
That the Holy, Sovereign Creator of all things would allow me the privilege to come before Him—to seek His blessing and ask for His help—is staggering!
And yet, tragically, many believers today live prayerless or barely-praying lives—only turning to God when tragedy strikes. The devil must shake his head in surprise that Christians neglect such power. Every revival in history began with a remnant of believers earnestly praying. When Charles Spurgeon preached and souls were being saved, it was said that beneath his church, the basement—what he called “the engine room”—was always filled with believers crying out to God in prayer.
To ignore the majesty and power of prayer is like a billionaire choosing to live homeless on the streets—what a tragic, wasteful neglect.
God has given us an open invitation into His presence. He longs for us to come to Him—not only in our time of need, but to simply be with Him, to sit at His feet and know Him.
The word regret means to feel sorrow or distress, to express apology or repentance. Could this be the one great regret many believers face when they stand before the Lord? That they ignored His invitation to be with Him in prayer?
Jas 4:1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
Jas 4:2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask.
Jas 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
I pray you do not neglect the great wonder of prayer!