Prayer is not your energy drink, it is your blood.

We're all familiar with many scripture passages telling us to pray.
- "Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension." 1 Tim 2:8
- "Pray without ceasing." 1 Thess 5:17
- "Devote yourselves to prayer" Col 4:2
- "With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit" Eph 6:18

These last two verses, however, continue beyond the command to just pray. Col 4:2 adds "keeping alert in it", Eph 6:18 "be on the alert". The end of Luke 21 describes the end times and return of Christ that is approaching. (v36) says "But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things..." We are not "alert" without cause. We don't watch with readiness for nothing, and a command to do so by our God should not warrant any less of a response.

God's view of prayer is not one of a potential for abundance beyond our measure. He's already given us everything we need. 2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness." Eph 1:3 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing"

Prayer is not a wishlist. It's not a bonus. It's not extra on the side. Instead, it's vital, necessary, and critical to life, the life that actually matters. Not being in prayer doesn't mean that we're living at standard capacity and that to be in prayer: we're overflowing. Not being in prayer, the commanded amount, is living at a grave deficiency.

Lack of prayer, by any amount, is seen to directly correlate to an increase in boastful, arrogant pride and sin.

Example:
At the passover, on the night of Jesus' betrayal, Peter is told by Jesus that Satan is coming to "sift" Peter and the disciples (Luke 22:31-34) Peter denies Jesus' claim, as if he knew better. As if he knew more about himself than Jesus did. (Matt 26:30-35) Peter embraces full arrogance and pride, coming just short of calling Jesus a liar: that though all others will fall, he won't.

Luke 22:40 Jesus says "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." They didn't. They slept. Matt 26:41 - "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation" Peter prayed too little and acted too much. When the crowd came to take Jesus, Peter lashed out, attacking a slave of the High Priest, trying to show his courage, his last chance to prove Christ wrong about him falling away.

He didn't pray. He depended on his own strength, which failed him. Later, Peter denies Christ three times. Without prayer, focus is too easily placed on ourselves and our deficiency, which is often a masked false strength.

But there is hope in our deficiency. After Peter's great fall, after having denied him three times, Jesus in (John 15:15-17) gives Peter three times in which to say that he loves Him. Three denials that crushed his spirit, three professions of love and restoration. Remember the words of Jesus to Peter before hand regarding when he is restored, (Luke 22:32) "but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail: and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." How do we strengthen our family in Christ? Jesus answered in the beginning of the verse. He prayed for Peter; Christ's view of prayer was critical.

(Mark 1:29-39) Jesus, after spending an entire day ministering, preaching, healing, and casting out demons late into the night, still rose early, before sunrise, to go and pray. We can see his ministry was not focused on quotas. He could have not risen early to pray, but He did despite tiredness. He could have opted for a day off, having done so much work the day before, working late into the night, but he chose to move onto the next set of towns to minister.

After Jesus ministered late into the night, he still rose very early to pray. Before the greatest burden of His existence was to be placed on Him, He prepared Himself by praying, nothing else. His command to the disciples, before they would be violently sifted by Satan, their faith tested and tried, Jesus commanded them to one thing: pray.

Rom 8:26 "In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."

How comforting to know that the Spirit's intercession for us focused on the will of God, and not my own often self focused, weak prayers. "the Spirit also helps our weakness"