By John David Hicks
“And he spake a parable unto them to the end that they ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1 ASV).
Jesus said, that you should be persistent in prayer and not give up. In other words “If you don’t pray, you will faint. If you are praying, you won’t faint.”
What does it mean to “faint? To faint is to become dizzy or weak, as if about to become unconscious. If your life is weak and you are about to pass out, Jesus says you have not been praying. If you are praying you will be given strength and you will not faint in the struggles of life. Prayer makes a difference. A Christian’s life is built on prayer. There are no “short cuts” to prayer.
Robert was a building contractor and he was well known for building high-quality homes. His son Rob was known for his wild life style. Rob had settled down and was engaged to be married. He worked for his father and hoped to take over the business when his father retired.
One day Rob’s father called him into the office and told him that at some point in the future he would lead the company and he needed some experience in management. “I have a beautiful piece of land,” his father told him. “I want you to build a nice house on it. Spare no expense; build a quality house that you would like to live in.”
Rob was excited and felt that this was his opportunity to prove to his father his merit. He would show his father how clever he was in his management skills. He had the plans drawn up. They were impressive. Now he would make an impression on his father on how much money he could save in building that home.
Rob told his foreman that they were going to build the house as cheaply as possible. They would cut every corner possible; where three nails were called for, they would use two. They would cut back on the electrical plugs and sinks in the bathrooms and go with the cheaper roof that still looked OK. They cut back everyplace they could. But he stressed to the men, “The house must look good on the outside.”
When it was finished, Rob was proud of his accomplishment. He had saved his father thousands of dollars and the house look good. He knew that his father would be pleased with him and that his father could sell the house and make a lot of money.
At Rob’s wedding, Rob’s father commended him on his achievement and remarked on how beautiful the house looked. Rob, bragged on what a fine job the men did. His father then took out the keys to the house and gave the house to Rob and his wife as a wedding present. Rob was stunned. The cheap house with all the “short cuts” that he built in was now his. He and his wife and family would have to live with it the rest of their lives.
What kind of house are you building? As a Christian, you are the living temple (house) of God. Jesus will come to you as He did in the Temple to drive out anything that is dishonest or unholy in your life. He will then call you back to prayer. Anyone who plans to build a house for the Lord must realize that Jesus said, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17).
Prayer gives vitality to your spiritual life; it is your connection to God. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4 NASB). When prayer is not exercise, then God Himself is a stranger in your house. Your prayers not only communicate with God, but are building and making a difference in your life. Don’t neglect prayer. There are no “short-cuts” to prayer.
Your Brother in Christ,
John David Hicks, Evangelist/Bible Teacher