Children of God Pray
Each child of God is alike in this respect: from the moment there is any life and reality to their faith, they pray. Just as the very first sign in a new baby is the act of breathing, so the first act of men and women when they are born again is praying. One of the most common marks of all who trust in God is to pray—or, as the Bible puts it, to “cry to him day and night” (Luke 18:7 ESV).
The Holy Spirit makes us new creatures and adopts us into God’s family, and he leads us to cry out to him, “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15 ESV). When the Lord Jesus gives us life, he gives us a voice and a tongue, and says to us, “Do not be silent anymore.” God does not have any silent children. That is because, when someone becomes a child of God, it is part of their new nature to pray, just as it is part of a new-born baby’s nature to cry. God’s children see their need of mercy and grace. They feel their emptiness and weakness. They cannot do anything else to help themselves. They must pray.
Believers Pray
I have looked carefully at the lives of believers in the Bible. I cannot find a single one (where we know something of their lives) who was not a person of prayer. Quite the opposite. It is often said of the godly that they “call on him as Father” (1 Peter 1:17 ESV) or “call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV); we are told that the wicked, on the other hand, “do not call upon the Lord” (Psalm 14:4 ESV).
I have read about the lives of many well-known Christians who have lived since the Bible days. Some were rich, others were poor. Some were clever, others were not. Some of them were from one branch of the church, others from a different one. Some loved formal church services and liturgy, others preferred spontaneity and informality. But I see one thing that they all had in common. They were all men and women of prayer. I have read many reports from missionary societies. It is wonderful to see how unbelievers from all over the world are receiving the gospel. There are conversions in Africa, in Asia, in the Americas. Those who become Christians are often very different from one another. But I notice one striking thing they have in common: converted people always pray.
Those Indwelled by the Holy Spirit Pray
I am fully aware that people can pray without engaging their heart. I know that people can pray without sincerity. And I do not pretend that just because a person prayers, it proves anything at all about their soul. As with every other aspect of faith and religion, there is plenty of room for deception and hypocrisy here too. But I do say this: not praying is a clear proof that someone is not yet a true Christian. He or she cannot really feel his or her sins. They cannot love God. They cannot feel themselves to be in debt to Christ. They cannot long after holiness. They cannot desire heaven. They cannot yet have been born again. They cannot yet have been made a new creature. They may boast confidently of having faith, grace, election, hope, and knowledge—and they may well deceive some people. But, if that person does not pray, you can be sure that it is all empty talk.
What is more, when it comes to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, one of the best pieces of evidence of his work is a habit of heartfelt private prayer. A Christian may preach, they may write best-selling books, make brilliant speeches, and do endless good works and yet still be like Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus. But, a believer who goes into their room and pours out their soul before God in secret will not often do that unless they are in earnest.
Jesus himself pointed to prayer as proof of Saul’s conversion. In Acts 9, God gave Ananias only one piece of evidence of Saul’s change of heart: “he is praying” (Acts 9:11 ESV). I know that a lot of things may go on in someone’s mind before they start to pray. They may have many strong feelings, intentions, resolutions, convictions, desires, wishes, hopes, and fears. But none of these things is necessarily evidence of a true change of heart. You can find all of those things in unbelievers, and they often come to nothing. Often, they last no longer than the morning mist, or the dew that disappears with the rising sun. A heartfelt prayer which flows from a broken and contrite spirit is worth all these things put together.
One Way to Know If You’re a True Christian
The bible teaches us that God’s elect are chosen for salvation from before all eternity. It tells us that the Holy Spirit often leads them to relationship with Christ step by step. We do not know the mind of God and we can only judge by what we see. For my own mind, I cannot be confident that anyone is justified until they repent and believe. And I could never be sure that someone truly believes until he or she prays. I cannot see how a silent, speechless, uncommunicative faith can be real faith.
The first act of faith will be to speak to God. A person cannot possibly live without breathing; nor can they possibly believe without praying. With that in mind, please do not be surprised if you hear your church leaders talking a lot about the importance of prayer. The reason is, we want to be sure that you pray. You may have incredibly sound doctrine and may love the Bible—but it is quite possible for this to be nothing more than head-knowledge. Your love for the church and other Christians may be especially warm—but that could just be love for a particular sub-culture. The vital question is whether you are actually acquainted with the throne of grace, whether you could speak to God as well as speak about him.
Do you want to know whether you are a true Christian? Then please realize that this question is exceptionally important: Do you pray?