Latest Devotion
How Is Your Prayer Life?
By: Keefe Wilson
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
Never stop praying. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NLT)
For me, one of the clearest indicators of my spiritual condition is my prayer life—not my Bible knowledge or how long I've been saved.
Back when I was a missionary, I remember complaining to my senior pastor about the changes in our church. After listening, he asked me this question: “How is your prayer life?” It caught me off guard, but it also exposed the condition of my heart. His question helped me realize I was spending hours preparing Bible studies and outreaches but only minutes a day in prayer. My lack of prayer meant I had become self-reliant instead of God-dependent.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 tell us to "never stop praying" because our prayer life reveals who we're relying on. If our prayer life is weak, it probably means we trust our own strength more than God's. If we rarely pray, we're saying, "I can manage my problems by myself." Eventually, we end up carrying our burdens instead of giving them to God. If we aren't careful, we'll spend more time worrying than we do praying. This will lead to frustration, anxiety, and conflict. Why? Because a heart that isn't praying becomes insensitive to what God is doing.
Honestly, a lack of prayer goes hand in hand with a lack of faith. When we rush our prayers or push them to the leftover moments of our day, we're telling God He isn't our priority. If we spend most of our free time on our phones, watching television, or pursuing hobbies, it's time to re-arrange our priorities. As the book of James keeps telling us, our actions speak louder than our words.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2
A life marked by continual, heartfelt prayer shows a deep trust in God. Prayer is an acknowledgment that we desperately need God every moment of our day. It also declares He's our wisdom, strength, helper, and guide. Passionate prayer says we believe God hears us; faithful prayers say we value our relationship with God more than anything.
So, we must examine ourselves and ask ourselves this question: What does my prayer life look like? Does it reflect faith or self-reliance? Trust or anxiety? Intimacy or distance? Christ follower, if someone judged your relationship with God solely by your prayer life, what conclusion do you think they would they reach?
Don't measure your prayers by their words or their length, measure them by your dependence on God!