Pray Without Ceasing

Wednesday morning, September 24, 2008 [sunny and 620],
This morning a UPS driver delivered Robert Benson's newest release entitled, "In Constant Prayer" and I can hardly wait to begin reading it. I really do not know Robert Benson (although I did talk with him once) but I did know his dad, the late Bob Benson, who was one of the most powerful, effective communicators I have ever known. He probably didn't weigh 100 pounds, even with a rock in his pocket, and he spoke in a high, squeaky voice, but when he spoke it was kind of like God speaking to Moses on Mt. Sinai (not really, but close!). He lived in Tennessee and was the owner of Benson Publishing Company, he loved to speak at retreats, which was his forte, but he also was master before huge crowds. I loved him and still miss him, especially hearing him speak. He, too, was a writer, a great, gifted writer, but he never could get his squeaky voice to quite come through in his writings. He faithfully wrote an article (monthly, I think) called "Meanings" and I loved them. Truth is, I think I still have all of them stored in my attic and he has been over Home for a number of years. Bob had a relationship with Jesus and you can take that as truth.
Well, his son is now the age of his Dad when I knew him, probably even older, which dates me, to be sure. He has published more than a dozen books himself. Robert's theology is a bit different from his Dad's, a bit more liturgical, shall I say. Even so, I am confident that his Dad is very proud of him and is probably his greatest cheerleader.
Anyway, it seems that Robert's passion is praying, second to his passion for writing. His writings on the subject of prayer remind me of something I read from one of Mike Mason's books: "There is nothing I love more than praying!" Wow! I really like that. I have the strong feeling that this world would be a much better place, if this were true of every believer. Sadly, the church has convinced us that being busy takes precedence over praying. Oh, yes, it tells us to pray but it does not give us time to pray, not if we participate in all the ministries that are required of us AND we somehow manage to take care of the responsibilities of life, such as parenting, earning a living, and all the rest.
I recently told a pastor-friend of mine that, in my opinion, it would make no eternal difference whatsoever, if every church in Macon (where I live) closed their doors and walked away. I still think that is true but I do wonder this: What would happen, if every church in Macon ended every program and encouraged the people to spend an equal amount of time in prayer.
You see, contrary to popular opinion, the success of the kingdom of God does not depend upon the programs of the church; instead, it depends upon the finished work of Jesus Christ. It is our neighbor, who needs our help, NOT God; He will make it quite-well without us! The fact is this: We need Him, we desperately need Him, and from what I can see, He choose to use prayer as one of the primary instruments of our meeting with Him.
Prayer is far-more important than most of us seem to believe-