When pray ? (continued)

There is obviously a purely legalistic way of setting aside nights for prayer that can not be of any benefit. But the abuse that can be done of this practice is not a sufficient reason for us to neglect it entirely. Let us not say, then : "I am going to spend the whole night praying" with the thought that it is attached to this exercise some merit which will assure us the favor of God : it would be legalism. But we'd do well to say sometimes : "I'm going to set this evening aside to meet God and get his blessing and power ; and if it is necessary, if he leads me to it, I will spend the whole night praying."

Often we will have prayed to the end and obtained the desired things long before the night has passed, and we will be able to retire and find a much more restful and invigorating sleep than if we had not spent this time in prayer. Other times, no doubt, God will keep us in communion with him until morning, and when he does, in his infinite grace, these hours of night prayer are truly blessed hours !

The nights of prayer with God are followed by days of power among men. During the hours of the night, the world is asleep and silent and it is easy for us to be alone with God, without being disturbed in our communion with him. If we reserve all night to pray, there will be no haste, our heart will have time to calm down before God, we will have time to submit all our spirit to the direction of the Holy Spirit and pray for all things to the end. A night of prayer must be placed entirely under the control of God.

We must not make any rules regarding the duration or purpose of our prayers. We must be prepared to wait for God to pray little or a lot of time as He will lead us and let us lead in one direction or another, as He sees fit.

Jeremy Sourdril