DEVOTED TO PRAYER
Romans 12:12


TRANSLATIONS

WORD STUDY

The Greek word used here for "prayer" is proseuche which appears 37 times in the pages of the NT writings. It's interesting to note that the word for "prayer" is never found anywhere in the writings of John! There are several Greek words which can be translated "prayer," but this particular word refers to "prayer in general" (Vine's Expository Dictionary). It is also the word which describes a "place of prayer" (Thayer, p. 545) --- See: Acts 16:13, 16. Some would translate these occurrences as "chapel" (Arndt, p. 713).

The Greek word proskartereo appears only ten times in the NT documents, and only five of these have reference to prayer --- Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; Col. 4:2; Eph. 6:18. It means "intently engaged in; attend constantly to; persist in adherence to; constantly devoted to." It "denotes to continue steadfastly in a thing and give unremitting care to it" (Vine's Expos. Dict.). "It signifies unremitting attention" (Shedd, p. 368). This "strong word suggests not only the constancy with which they are to pray, but the effort that is needed to maintain a habit so much above nature" (Expos. Greek, p. 692).

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

I Thessalonians 5:17 I Timothy 2:8

COMMENTARY

"But can I pray without ceasing? Not if by prayer you mean only words of supplication and petition, but if by prayer you mean also a mental attitude of devotion, and a kind of sub-conscious reference to God in all that you do, such unceasing prayer is possible" (Maclaren, p. 280).

"When a man ceases to pray he despoils himself of the strength of Almighty God. No man can be surprised if life collapses if he insists on living life alone" (Barclay, p. 180).

"Prayer is the breathing of the redeemed soul, and the cessation or neglect of it will smother and destroy spiritual life" (Coffman, p. 435).

"No where is the child of God safe without prayer; no where is he in much danger with it. It is the divine talisman which secures against every evil" (Lard, p. 391).


Home Page Romans 12:9-21 Files