We have a good example in the Lord Jesus, who prayed all night. Speaking of the Lord, we read in Luke 6:12-13, “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued ALL NIGHT IN PRAYER to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles.” We get a sense of the value of prayer in these verses. The Lord Jesus was about to make a very important choice. Out of all His disciples, He was going to appoint twelve of these as apostles, which special powers and authority. He communed with His Father all night long in preparation of this decision. The Lord said in John 8:29, “I do always those things that please him.” He spent much time in prayer so that He could KNOW His Father’s will and DO His Father’s will. If the Lord Jesus prayed constantly, should not we also realize our many needs and also pray constantly?

We are instructed in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to, “Pray without ceasing.” Of course, we cannot pray 24 hours per day, but we can constantly be in the spirit of prayer! It is a good and profitable practice to pray often. Even if we can’t stop what we are doing at the moment, we can quickly offer a prayer to the Lord for some immediate need. Of course, it is better to get alone with the Lord and pour out our hearts to Him without the distractions and interruptions around us. The Lord tells us in Matthew 6:6, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” This does not have to be a literal closet that we go into, but it is a place where we can have solitude. Why should we pray without ceasing? As I often say, “IT IS CONTINUAL PRAYER FOR CONTINUAL NEEDS.” When we have no more needs, when we have run out of things to thank the Lord for, when we have praised and worshipped Him enough, then it will be time to cease from prayer. As I’m sure you know…that day will never come!

It is wonderful to realize that at any time, day or night, we can talk to the Lord. Psalm 121:4 tells us that the Lord “shall neither slumber nor sleep.” He is ALWAYS awake, not even stopping to take a brief nap. He is ALWAYS listening to hear our prayers. He will ALWAYS answer according to His good and perfect will.

Prayer is also a ministry! Let’s read Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always LABOURING FERVENTLY for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Epaphras was a man who obviously realized the value of prayer. He poured out his heart to the Lord for the needs of those around Him. He did not flippantly call upon the Lord half-heartedly. He was “always striving for you in his prayers, praying with genuine concern” (Amplified Bible). We have the promise of the value of this kind of prayer in James 5:16, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man AVAILETH MUCH.”

So, if the Lord should lead you to pray, and that prayer should last the whole night, be thankful that the Lord honors our prayers and He never tires of hearing from us. Whether it be prayers of requests, confession, thanksgiving, praise, or worship, pray as long as the Spirit leads.

To read about the longest and shortest prayers in the Bible, please click on this AFTB link: https://answersfromthebook.net/what-is-the-longest-prayer-in-the-bible/ (241.2)