When I was a little boy, my mother would sometimes leave me at my father’s store while she went grocery shopping. Sometimes when she did, there would be an old man there talking to my father. My father had told me that he was a preacher, but he was old and gruff, and I was a little scared of him.
One day when my mother left me there, this old man was there. My father had to go in the back of the store for a minute, and this old man turned to me. In his gruff voice he demanded of me, “Boy. Do you think you have to be on your knees for God to hear your prayers?”
I do not know what prompted that question. I DO know that back then, many men who led prayers in church, especially in country congregations, would pray on their knees. Maybe this man and my father had been discussing whether praying on our knees showed a more humble attitude, or whether God cared about our physical position. Maybe they were discussing it before I came in. All I know for sure is that an old black preacher asked a theological question to this scared little white boy.
I didn’t know what to say. It was certainly not a subject I had ever considered at my tender age. I think I finally mumbled out, “I don’t guess so.” When I answered, the gruff face suddenly smiled. He laughed kindly and then said, “Well, I know that I’ve made some mighty fervent prayers while running full speed down a dark alley.”
The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray without ceasing.” There is never a time when we can’t pray, whether we are in prison, in the belly of a great fish, or running full speed down a dark alley. There should never be a time when we don’t pray, but we should always be asking for God’s guidance and blessings. David, the author of many of the Psalms in the Scriptures, shows us that he was constantly going to God seeking forgiveness, direction, and comfort, and that is a good example for us to follow.
When my oldest brother was in high school, prayer was still allowed in public school in America. There was one high school teacher who would call on a boy in class every morning to begin the class with prayer. Normally these were just short simple prayers. One morning, one of the boys enthusiastically volunteered to lead the prayer. It seems the class was supposed to have a test that day, but he had not studied. So he prayed for the entire class. The old teacher was too polite to interrupt a prayer, or maybe he was intrigued by the young man’s enterprise. At any rate, the boy prayed the entire class. He prayed for everyone and everything he could think of. I don’t think this is what 1st Thessalonians 5:17 means by “pray without ceasing,” but it does point out that often our prayers are often short, not thought out, or not fervently prayed. There should never be a time, a subject, or a situation we don’t pray about.
Even the Son of God felt the need to find lots of time to pray to God. If He needed that, then we most certainly do.