Dangers of Prayerlessness

Matthew 9:37–38 KJV 1900

37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; 38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.

One could argue that prayer is the most important need for the vitality and survival of a church.

In our text What role does prayer have in the sending forth of workers into His harvest?

Without prayer = no workers

Without workers no harvest - at least as intended by Christ.

Mat. 9:36-38 indicates that Jesus desires to send His followers into the whitened harvest fields to win souls.

This should not only be the focus of service for God in our lives - but it should motivate and stimulate us to more earnest and fervent prayer.

Prayer has been described by one author as, “divine intimate fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It is that invisible umbilical cord connected to God.”

What we pray is, “The known will and purposes of the Father! We pray the word of God, within biblical context” Yeager, Dr. Michael. Daniel Nash A Man Mighty In Prayer: The Key to Revival . Kindle Edition.

Daniel Nash was a tremendous prayer warrior. Finney attributed a large majority of his success as a revivalist to the prayers of Daniel Nash.

“It’s been said that Daniel Nash prayed so hard his nose began to bleed, and he would be wet with perspiration even during the dark, cold New York winters. He was physically exhausted when he went to bed. He prayed as he shook the heavens with fervent prayer.” Yeager, Dr. Michael. Daniel Nash A Man Mighty In Prayer: The Key to Revival (p. 5). Kindle Edition.

Now I’m not trying to guilt us into that type of praying - - but I am saying that I could use some improvement in my intensity, passion, and pursuit of prayer as a person, and I’m sure we could all see areas of improvement in our praying as a church.

Prayerlessness is a danger today:

What do I mean by prayerlessness?

Not really praying

Only praying for what we want

Not praying at all

Three dangers of prayerlessness for the church

A prayerless church will trend toward becoming a loveless congregation

A prayerless church will become a self-reliant and self-preserving church (turn in on itself instead of attempting to win souls)

A prayerless church will become a powerless church

“The measure of our faith and the fervency of our prayers determine the effectiveness of our endeavors for Christ. If our faith is weak and our praying passionless we cannot expect to achieve much for Him...We cannot justify our failures by pleading our lack of natural ability. I am persuaded that God does impart a greater measure of divine ability to us when we are saved by grace through faith.”

Yeager, Dr. Michael. Daniel Nash A Man Mighty In Prayer: The Key to Revival (pp. 186-187). Kindle Edition.