-From Words to Winners of Souls by Horatius Bonar
It seems today that prayer has disappeared from our lives. We have allowed business, study, or active labor to interfere with our prayer closet hours. And the feverish atmosphere in which both the church and nation are enveloped has found its way into our closet, disturbing the sweet calm of its blessed solitude.
Sleep, company, idle visiting, foolish talking, and jesting, idle reading, unprofitable occupations, engross time that that might have been redeemed for prayer.
Why is there so little anxiety to get time to pray?
Why is there so little forethought in laying out of time and employments so as to secure a large portion of each day for prayer?
Why is there so much speaking, yet so little prayer?
Why is there so much running to and fro, yet so little prayer?
Why so much bustle and business, yet so little prayer?
Why so many meetings with our fellow men, yet so few meetings with God?
It is the want of these solitary hours that not only injures our own growth in grace but makes us such unprofitable members of the church of Christ and renders our life useless.
In one single quiet hour of prayer, it will often make more progress than in days of company with others.
Lord, help us near to draw near to You, in fellowship with You, waiting upon You, resting in You so that we may begin, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to strengthen our resolve to know You through prayer. We were raised in families that prayer was only saying grace for our meals. Help us to become prayer Warriors for You and begin a life of deliberately setting time aside daily for precious and sweet time with You in prayer. Lord help us, we can’t do this by ourselves.
In Christ,
Bill