The Wrong Time to Pray
Can there be such a thing as the wrong time to pray?
Pray without ceasing. (1Thess 5:17)
It cannot really ever be wrong to pray.
Except...
When we are going to use the excuse of prayer to avoid doing what God told us to do, it is wrong. Prayer is not an excuse for disobedience.
And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: (Exo 14:15)
Israel had just left the land and the tyranny of Egypt. There may have been a million of them at this point. They camped by the sea and then saw the army of Egypt marching toward them. There was no place to run. The people, in fear and desperation, cried out to Moses. Moses had the faith to declare that they would be delivered from the advancing army...somehow. He cried out to God for help. God replied, in effect, Stop praying! Keep going forward. God told Moses what he was supposed to do. The sea parted. In the morning the people of Israel went through the midst of the sea on dry land. The enemy army attempted to follow them and was destroyed by the waters.
In this case, it would have been disobedience and sin to keep praying about the situation. Prayer is not a substitute for obeying the command of the Lord.
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? (Jos 7:10)
When the army of Israel, under Joshua, attacked the small city of Ai, Israel's army was soundly defeated. This was exactly the opposite of what they expected. Did God just die? Why did God abandon them? Joshua and the elders of the people torn their clothes in despair. They fell on their faces and laid before the ark of the covenant all day. Finally, God seems to say, What are you people doing on your faces? Get up!
[It's not that it is “wrong” to pray. Rather, it is evil to refuse to obey the Lord's instructions.]
God then gave Joshua instructions to find the sin among the army and deal with it. After this, they were back on track with military successes. (Jos 7:16-26)
Today, we are given the command to pray about everything (Phil 4:6). And... And what? And then do what you heard in prayer (John 13:17, 14:15). You mean, I'm responsible? We have so much teaching about we not being able to add to the work of God to the point we refuse to do anything. True, we cannot add our own effort to the Grace of God. Faith is the requirement, not activity, to obtain the salvation of God. If we love Jesus, we are to pay serious attention to His words. Not to the Law of Moses any longer but to the instructions of our Boss.
And he (Jesus) sent them (The 12 apostles) to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. (Luke 9:2)
Jesus sent His 12 disciples out with a command to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. They were given power and authority over all demons and the ability to heal the sick. Later, Jesus did the same thing with a larger group of followers.
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. (Luke 10:1)
These seventy returned with joy at their new experience of commanding demons (Luke 10:17) and, no doubt, healing since that always goes along with preaching and deliverance ministry.
And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. (Acts 6:8)
Even later, Stephen, who was not an apostle, was involved in the supernatural.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. (Mark 16)
This commission applies to “them that believe” and, by extension, to you and me. God has not died, heaven and earth have not passed away, and the Word of God has not passed away, either.
(Note: This does not mean that every Christian is involved in the full-time public office of Workers of Miracles and Healings (1 Cor 12:29). It means that Jesus has not passed away, that born again has not passed away, that heaven and earth have not passed away yet, and that the Words of Jesus are still alive and valid.)
We should always pray about everything but some things God has assigned to us.
Ministering to the Sick (A typical prayer time)
Someone is sick or has developed a disease.
We pray, God please heal them. (That's good.)
Then God says, You minister to them.
God, You don't seem to understand. My friend really needs you to heal them.
You bring healing to them.
God, please heal them.
I told you to heal them.
God, please touch them and relive their pain and suffering.
I gave that responsibility to you.
(Long silence. Finally...) God, please guide the undertaker's hands.
Ministering Deliverance
We don't even touch that one. That is another area where God has assigned us to minister directly. Ironically, it can be disobedience and sin to keep praying about some situations. Prayer is not a substitute for obeying the command of the Lord.
I have come to see that it is not because the reader cannot understand these things but precisely because they can understand them that causes offense. My purpose is not to be offensive or insulting. However, there are a couple more things that cause fellow believers to move themselves off the path that we have been traveling together. The threat of personal responsibility scares people who are trying to believe (mostly unsuccessfully) in grace of God.
Cooperating with the Holy Spirit and recognizing the spirit realm (over the natural senses)
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also. (1 Cor 14:15)
Paul the Apostle reveals to us that participating with the Spirit/spirit is mostly a matter of our determination. Most people say, “I will most certainly not!” And that is their determination. The Holy Spirit is not (generally) going to force Himself against the will of a person. John the Apostle as well as Paul, in their writings, reveal to us truths about the spirit realm that we cannot know apart from their information. If a Christian refuses to live beyond the natural senses, they have shut themselves off from the life of God, in a practical sense.
Watching for the Appearance of Jesus
Because the subject of the End-Times can be difficult, many take the attitude that since we can't know the timing of future unknowable events that we will just decide to not have any opinion on it, at all. At the very least, we must cultivate an attitude of yearning and expectation of the Lord's Appearing. This much is required. What is also required is that we watch for the signs of Jesus' Appearing. This is a command of the Lord 16 times in the New Testament. Because it can be difficult and controversial, many decide to do nothing. Jesus told a story about servants that were given a portion of their master's money and told to do business while he was away for an extended time (Matt 25:14-30). Two of the servants gained some return on the investment. They were commended. One of the servants, for whatever reason, did nothing and hid his master's money in the ground. In the story the master called him , “you wicked, lazy slave” (v. 26) and “worthless slave” (v. 30). I do not believe Jesus ever says that to a Christian but the story reflects His attitude toward doing nothing.
I have a horrible investment sense. I think I am wise and conservative financially but business sense seems to be missing in my life. I have often thought that I would be terrified at losing someone's money if they left it with me to invest. It seems that I can relate well to the servant that buried his master's money. However, after seeing the master's rebuke of his worthless slave in Jesus' story, I think there may be something worse than making a bad investment. That is doing nothing. With regards to eschatology, we should do our best to take Jesus' words seriously. Do our best to study. Take advantage of books, videos, and good teaching. Pray and be led by the Holy Spirit. Seek out men with real insight on this subject. Do your best to understand Jesus' words. At the very least, stop ignoring Him! Even if you are imperfect in your understanding, do not be guilty of dismissing Jesus' teaching as worthless.
April 5, 2025