The Hungry Man Needs No Help To Teach Him How To Beg

Nancy Leigh DeMoss:

I am convicted that prayerlessness …

—is a sin against God (1 Samuel 12:23).

—is direct disobedience to the command of Christ (“watch and pray,” Matthew 26:41).

—is direct disobedience to the Word of God (“pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV).

—makes me vulnerable to temptation (“watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation,” Matthew 26:41).

—expresses independence—no need for God.

—gives place to the Enemy and makes me vulnerable to his schemes (Ephesians 6:10–20; Daniel 10).

—results in powerlessness.

—limits (and defines) my relationship with God.

—hinders me from knowing His will, His priorities, His direction.

—forces me to operate in the realm of the natural (what I can do) versus the supernatural (what He can do).

—leaves me weak, harried, and hassled.

—is rooted in pride, self-sufficiency, laziness, and lack of discipline.

—reveals a lack of real burden and compassion for others.

Why don’t I pray more? Here is what I have come to believe is the number one reason for my own prayerlessness: We don’t pray because we are not desperate. We’re not really conscious of our need for God. Puritan pastor William Gurnall makes this point in his writings:

Perhaps the deadness of thy heart in prayer ariseth from not having a deep sense of thy wants, and the mercies thou art in need of…. The hungry man needs no help to teach him how to beg.

Though my natural instinct is to wish for a life free from pain, trouble, and adversity, I am learning to welcome anything that makes me conscious of my need for Him. If prayer is birthed out of desperation, then anything that makes me desperate for God is a blessing.