Men Ought Always to Pray – Ambassador Baptist Church Singapore

Luke 18:1 …men ought always to pray, and not to faint;

Prayer is asking something of God. Prayer, to the child of God, is as natural as breathing. Our hearts are automatically tuned to heaven when there is a need, when there is praise or when there is pain in the heart. This act of turning to God automatically can only be possible for a man who has been changed from the inside by the power of God. The Lord Jesus teaches His disciples and us that we ought always to pray and not to faint. Prayer, though natural to the child of God, is unnatural to the sinful man, which does not want to pray. Is it not true that oftentimes, prayer is neglected because of distractions? Yet, the Lord still tells us that men ought always to pray and not to faint.

Notice that prayer is to be the constant occupation of the child of God.
In 1 Thessalonians 5: 17 we are told to pray without ceasing. We are to be in an attitude of constant prayer, we are to have a constant heart for communication with God. How do we pray constantly ? When we awake, we can thank God for rest and a new day. When we wash up, we can thank the Lord for refreshing us. When we are having breakfast, we may give thanks in prayer for the food and ask Godʼs leadership and guidance for the day. When we read our Bibles in the morning, we can seek the Lord in prayer for His will and wisdom for the dayʼs activities. When we travel to work, we can keep our minds and hearts on Christ by quiet prayer for the people around us, the friend we are going to meet, the colleagues at work, the project that we are working on, or the presentation we have to produce. When we ﬁnish a dayʼs work, we can thank God for the ability to complete the work in the jobs we have. When we are home, we can thank God for peace and a place for rest and for our family. When we rest, we may ask the Lordʼs forgiveness and give Him praise for His grace and mercy throughout the day. We can and are to be in constant communication with God.

Notice we are not to faint.
The word faint means to be weak in heart, to fail. We are not to fail in our efforts to reach God with our petitions for our loved onesʼ lives and salvation. We are not to be weak in our hearts, or waver when we are asking something of the Lord. We are to be strong, to persevere and to endure in prayer because God wants these qualities to be developed in us for His glory. For the sake of saving our loved ones from sin, sinful decision, and hell, we must not fail. We are to plead with God, without failing in our energy and our heart, that we might win them to Christ and that God might save them from their sins.

Notice that this is a command; the word “ought” implies an obligation.
God commands us to pray always. He instructs us that we must obey this instruction without reservation. We must pray because there are many many implications if we do not pray. When we do not pray, our spiritual life is without power, our families are unprotected, our work will be without leading and wisdom, our souls will be dry and our loved ones will perish!

Christians, will you pray and pray more? Man ought always to pray. Let us pray always as a church.

Evangelist-Pastor Johnny Tan
Ambassador Baptist Church