Devoted to Prayer

 

Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church, to do them harm…So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made to God intensely by the church. – Acts 12:1, 5 (NASB)

God’s people were under siege, persecuted by the one in authority, Herod the king. And what did the church do? 

Now it is said that there should be a separation between church and state, however when the state is determined to cause harm to those who belong, not just to the church but to all who God created, then the church must act.

And how does the church act? Pray.

Unfortunately, these days we see atrocities being done to persons the world over and not a murmur from the church.

When Herod stretched forth his hands to afflict and oppress and torment (v 1 AMPC), the church did not just sit back and do nothing, the church gathered to pray, not just a few members meeting to impress one another by uttering disingenuous performance prayers, but the whole church came together as one to pray intensely to God.

What about your church, does your church family gather to pray?

What about your household, do you come together, as a family, to pray?

The early church did not only turn to prayer in challenging times, they were devoted to prayer. Prayer was an integral part of their daily routine; constantly praying was their way of life.

And I will do whatever you ask in My name [as My representative], this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified and celebrated in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name [as My representative], I will do it. – John 14:13-14 (AMP)

Jesus promised His disciples that as His representatives, whatever they ask in His name, He would do once it glorified and celebrated the Father in the Son.

Beloved, as followers of Jesus, you and I are His representatives, the church is His representative, so we should all be devoted to prayer. We can ask Jesus anything in His name and He will do it, not my words, His.

We, as the church, ought to put this wonderful promise into practice, praying intensely to our resurrected Jesus for whatever is needed, believing without a doubt that He will answer our prayers.

Jesus gave the assurance that when we pray together, we bring Him into the situation.

For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them. – Matthew 18:20 (AMP)

Simply put, there is power in gathering, so prayer must be a vital part of church.

Praying as a church, or family or a group of friends or individually should never be trivialized or minimized because prayer is fuel for living. Being devoted to prayer produces extraordinary results in ordinary lives.

The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results. – James 5:16 (TLB)

Beloved, you must devote time to God – Father, Son and Spirit – in prayer if you want to see your life and the lives of those you pray for truly flourish.

The bible is filled with examples of how those in the early church prayed; search for the prayers that you can use as models for your own and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in becoming devoted to prayer.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Devoted to Prayer” ©2026 February 25, 2026