Actually, since "Prayer is the Christian's vital breath," as one has aptly said, we should never stop praying anymore than we would stop breathing. Scripture exhorts us to "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and, "Continue in prayer" (Colossians 4:2).

To pray is to commune with God, to talk to Him. This communication begins when a sinner prays a prayer that needs never to be prayed again—"God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). This prayer is actually a confession of one's guilt, and also an expression of belief in Christ and His finished work of redemption on the Cross as payment of his sins forever. Of the publican who prayed that prayer, the Lord Jesus said, "That man went down to his house justified" that is, forever cleared from all guilt!

When a sinner is thus saved and brought into fellowship with God, his life of prayer begins. When the Lord sent Ananias to seek Saul of Tarsus (who had been saved just three days before), the Lord said he would recognize Saul because "he prayeth" (Acts 9:11). This new Christian was already enjoying communion with God and undoubtedly was praising Him for the grace bestowed upon him.

Saul, who became Paul the apostle and bondslave of Jesus Christ, was constantly found in prayer in his untiring service for His Lord and Saviour. Of the fourteen letters he wrote he speaks of his prayer life in several of them: "Without ceasing I make mention of you in my prayers." See the following references: Romans 1:9; Philippians 1:4; Colossians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:3 and Philemon 1:4. What an example for our prayers!

There was one time, however, when Paul stopped praying. He was suffering an affliction which, if delivered from, he thought he could better serve the Lord. Paul prayed three times before the Lord revealed to him that his affliction was allowed by God to keep him from being exalted because of the abundance of divine revelations he had received from the Lord. When the Lord said, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness," Paul replied, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). He then stopped praying for deliverance from that affliction.

Scripture emphatically assures us that GOD HEARS and ANSWERS prayer. (See Isaiah 59:1 and Jeremiah 33:3.) His delays in answering, as we might think them to be, are not at all necessarily a denial to our requests. Is God indifferent? He cannot be. His purpose and His will is far better than our desire, and He will show us, in His time, "great and mighty things which thou knowest not" (Jeremiah 33:3).

Should we stop praying? No NEVER! Rather lay hold upon the prescription given to us in Philippians 4:6,7: "Be careful [anxious] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." Blessed, indeed, is the result of a life of prayer!