Are You a Praying Person?

One of the clear marks of a true Christian is that they pray . . . a lot!

After his unexpected and radical conversion, the notorious Saul of Tarsus began to pray. In fact, when the Lord sent Ananias to go to him with words of encouragement, He said, "Behold, he is praying" (Acts 9:11).

Are you known as a person of prayer? The Bible tells us that we are to be "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:18).

This verse tells us we should be praying with "all prayer." We use the word "pray" a lot. It is a pretty general term. But know this: you can pray publically and privately, verbally and silently. You can be kneeling, standing, sitting, lying down, or even driving. You can pray with your eyes open or closed!

The main thing is to pray! You can pray in any position, at any time, anywhere.
Sometimes we think that the Lord will hear our prayers better if they are prayed in a church building. But that is not necessarily true.

• Daniel prayed in a lion’s den.
• David prayed in a field.
• Peter prayed in (and on) the water.
• Jonah’s prayer was heard from the belly of a whale!

Surely God will hear your prayer wherever you are. The main thing is that you are "praying always."

The word "all" in this verse speaks of the frequency of prayer—morning, afternoon, and evening. We are to "pray without ceasing, for this is the will of God . . ."

Daniel had enemies who set a trap for him because they knew he prayed. So what did he do after this decree was signed that no one could pray to God?

"But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God" (Daniel 6:10).

Do your enemies know you pray? Let’s all look for opportunities to pray this week.