Andrew D. Urshan
We beg of the reader in the name of the Lord to read the following biblical facts in regard to a praying and not praying church.
If the people of God continue a prayerless life the seven following great losses will be their lot. We now wish to answer an important question namely, what would we lose if we do not “pray always.” “Pray without ceasing,” “pray everywhere and “pray in the Name of the Lord Jesus.”
First, The kingdom of God will not come and we will have to live under man, and Satanic unrighteous ruling power. If the coming of the Kingdom of God was independent of our prayer Jesus would never teach His apostles and church and say, “When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth.” Our Savior evidently saw that the coming of the Kingdom of God depended on the prayers of His children that is why He taught His Disciples first of all the above prayer when they eagerly desired Him to teach them to pray. Luke 11:1-2.
Second, There will be no God-appointed, anointed and sent messengers. Jesus plainly teaches us the way to get the needed laborers into God’s great harvest field is the way of prayer. The reason we have so many ministers in the general Christendom who are tearing God’s people into sectarian and denominational slices is because they are not the prayer-born messengers of God like Samuel the prophet. If the Christian people put their energy into prayer for a divine ministry instead of wasting it in building up great large colleges and seminaries and so many theological propagandas; the world would have been brought under the influence of the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God long ago. So dear ones when our Master said to His followers, “Pray ye therefore the Lord of the Harvest, that He will send forth laborers into His Harvest,” He made no mistake, nor did He speak hastily, but He uttered a Heavenly fundamental of the truth. Matthew 9:37-38.
Third, There will be no sinners saved. Wherever there has been a real conversion or a genuine revival of salvation of souls, it has all been wrought by real true prayer. No wonder apostle Paul said, “I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Please note the contrast between two sayings of the apostle namely “all men”. Pray for all men, why, because God will have all men to be saved, in other words; God is ready and waiting for His church to pray for all men that, He may be able to save all men. You see our prayer less life not only causes the loss of many precious souls but it also stops the saving power of the Almighty, what a terrible loss. I Timothy 2:1-5.
Fourth, There will be no backsliders reclaimed. It is easy to judge the discouraged and backslidden souls, but we are not to judge them, but pray them back to God. He, who granted unto them repentance and remission of sins can alone bring the stray ones back to Himself if the strong ones will pray earnestly on their behalf. This teaching is apostolic-brand and it was the apostle John, who affirmed it according to 1st John 5:16 and James 5:18-20.
Fifth, There will be no powerful ministry. It is not enough to pray for God’s sent-forth messengers, but we must continue praying that the same God -will endue His messengers with divine power, wisdom, and liberty, that the message of God may not only he proclaimed faithfully, but also confirmed by signs following ministry.
There are many discouraged ministers of God today, just because the people of God do nor I old them up t, prayer continually as Aaron and Hur held Moses’ arms up while the battle was raging against God and His cause. It is very easy to criticize ministers, but criticism does not help and God has not caned us to be accusers, but the excusers of each other, knowing our own weakness we should always pity and sympathize with one another especially with ministers, who bear the burden of the Lord, who are attacked bitterly and wrongly by Satan and his channels.
Apostle Paul keenly felt the importance of this great ministry of prayer for himself, though he was such a wonderful man of God, yet he beseeched earnestly, so we read in Ephesians 6:19; the Apostles’ own words, “And for me (praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching their unto with all perseverance verse 18) that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel” “And continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; with all praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds.” Colossians 4:2-4.
Our own Lord in the hour of His trial He almost begged His weak and discouraged disciples to watch and pray with Him. See Matthew 26:40-41. If our great master coveted the prayer of His frail and sleepy disciples, how much more we poor ministers need the Saint’s prayers. Dear ones let us not only covet great power for our assemblies but let us also remember that we must pray it down upon ministers and the Word and not have on hand this great lack of prayer continually.
Sixth, There will be no divine healing to confirm the gospel. When the apostle James said, “Pray for one another that ye may be healed,” he, at once taught us that where there is no real prayer, there will be no real divine cures and whosesoever there is no divine healing, there is no large crowds, no interest, not many conversions and the absence of God’s power to confirm the gospel. When our Lord commanded His disciples and said unto them “go preach the gospel and heal the sick;” He meant that preaching and healing should go together, so to neglect prayer is, to lose health and healing not only for ourselves, but for the church in general also. May God forgive us for allowing such a great loss through our Christian lethargy.
Seventh, There will be no restitution or reformation of the church in general. The present deplorable condition of Christiandom can be only remedied by prayer and prayer alone. Sixty-second chapter of Isaiah shows us this remedy. There we see the Almighty stirred and uttering His great promises of restoration of the ruined Zion, but what stirs Jehovah, what makes Him to say, “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace,” etc., etc. The sixth verse answers this question satisfactorily, yes it is because the watchmen are upon the walls of Jerusalem, who will not hold their peace day nor night and will not give God rest until He comes down from Heaven and rebuilds His shamefully destroyed Natural and Spiritual Zion.
Do you see dear reader, what a terrible loss for God and His church because we are not always praying and praying without ceasing? It was a true answer when one asked, “What is the first important thing in Christian life?” The proper answer was “PRAYER!” Then it was asked, what is the second and last most principle thing? The answer was again, PRAYER! PRAYER! PRAYER!
If we wished Christ never would return, care not for God’s sent ministers, do not wish to see the power of God in the church demonstrated, let our loved ones and neighbors be lost and go to Hell, sick ones remain afflicted and Zion forever shamefully destroyed: let us continue a prayerless and careless Christian life. But if we will have God’s kingdom planted in the hearts of thousands of men and women and finally possess the whole earth by the personal coming of our Lord let us more earnestly pray, Thy kingdom come.” And if we will have many mighty ministers of the Truth filled with power and unction from above let us give our time, not for backbiting but prayer. If we will have Gods’ word mightily confirmed with signs and wonders; let us like the church of old unitedly pray, “and now Lord, behold their threatening: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy Word by stretching forth thy hand to heal: and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of the HOLY CHILD Jesus.” Yea! if we will have thousands of backsliders running back to their father’s home like the prodigal Son and nevermore go back into the life of sin, we must fervently pray and if we will have the Church of God to become a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord and a royal diadem in the hand of our God and appear no more ashamed, forsaken and desolate, let us then pray day and night, give no rest to our own soul neither to God of Heaven, until the great and terrible loss of so long a period will be restored and bountifully blessed by the Lord God who hears and answers prayer.
The above article “The Great Loss of Not Praying for God and His Church” is written by Andrew D. Urshan. This article was excerpted from chapter three in Urshan’s book The Supreme Need of the Hour.
The material is copyrighted and should not be repainted under any other name or author. However, this material may freely be used for personal study or purposes.
