A challenge that many face in life, that seems unusual but is very real, is not knowing when it is appropriate to pray, or what conditions of life should be present before we pray. For some reason the thought has been emblazoned in the minds of the masses that prayer is really only a final resort or a last straw for only the direst of situations. Prayer, to many, represents a precious tool, but one that can only be used in extreme conditions. That, though, is not at all the picture of prayer that the Bible paints. If one thing could be stated about the life of Jesus, it could be said that Jesus was committed to prayer at all times and for all reasons. Jesus knew prayer was not something reserved for special occasions, but was a lifestyle to which we must be committed if we are ever going to have a proper relationship with Jehovah God. Consider what the avenue of prayer represents. It is a direct line of communication between yourself as a Christian and God your Father. It is an opportunity to rejoice, weep, plead, thank, and praise the glory of God. And it is that communication that is vitally important to the strength of that relationship. What would happen if the lines of communication between a husband and wife were never used in conversation? The relationship would deteriorate and eventually die. Such is the end of the Christian’s relationship with God who does not pray. Without that communication the relationship builds no strength and eventually leads to absolute apostasy. It is with all of this in mind, though, that the question is posed, “in what conditions of life should I pray?”
Should I pray when times are bad? Absolutely! Prayer was designed to be a time at which our hearts could be poured out completely unto God. There is nothing that could happen in life that is bad enough to make prayer ineffective. When disasters strike, many immediately turn to prayer. I remember years ago being in attendance at an area wide youth devotional, when in the middle of the service a young lady fell into the floor in a seizure. The shock obviously took many several minutes to overcome, but what impressed me was, that while others attended to her needs, I looked around and saw many of the Christians assembled bowed in private prayer on her behalf. Jesus was facing His inevitable death that would prove to be terrible physically, spiritually, and emotionally. And yet in the midst of what had to be the most trying time in His life, His instinct was to pray (Matthew 26:36ff). It was in prayer that He found the strength He needed to get Him through this most difficult time. Thus, we should absolutely turn to prayer when times are bad.
However, should I also pray when times are good? Without a doubt! As much as seeking God’s strength and guidance in the bad times is encouraging and uplifting, how great is it to be able to spend time in prayer thanking God for all of the goodness we enjoy? However, to understand this point, we must understand a point that James would make in his epistle. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17). If things are well in our lives, they are well because of the marvelous blessings of God. Times are good and we should definitely spend time in prayer to God thanking Him for it.
But then the question should be asked, what about all of the other times? Life is not always given to extremes. The great majority of our lives is represented by times that are not great but are not really disastrous either. Still, though, we should be given to prayer. There were times in Jesus’ life when He was not necessarily facing times of distress but was not necessarily facing times of plenty either, but He still devoted Himself to prayer. Why? Because He knew that prayer strengthened His bond with the Father. John 17:1-5 represents a prayer spoken on His own behalf where the text indicates He was seeking the favor of and a strengthened bond with the Father. Yes, prayer is reserved not only for the good time and for the bad times, but also for all times in between and full advantage should be taken.
Many of the problems and misunderstandings people face regarding prayer come from this fact—they have depended upon the world to set the parameters for prayer. What we must instead do is turn to the pages of Holy Writ to give us that information, which in short suggests that we should “pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17).