Is It a Sin Not to Pray?

Jesus taught His disciples "always to pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1). How do we know if we've sinned against this command? Today, Derek Thomas addresses the important relational element of our prayer lives.

NATHAN W. BINGHAM: I'm here on the Ligonier campus with Dr. Derek Thomas, one of our teaching fellows. Dr. Thomas, is it a sin not to pray?

DR. DEREK THOMAS: Well, it depends what you mean by "not to pray." If you never pray, yes, I think that is a sin. There are obviously different ways to pray, and there are formal prayers and there's a prayerfulness that while you're doing other things"while you're working, while you're driving, while you're sleeping"you're not praying. But you can be in a state of prayerfulness. That is, you can be in somebody's presence, you can be married to your spouse, but is it a sin not to talk to her? There are days when I say to Rosemary, "Can we just sit here and not talk?" That, too, is an expression of fidelity and love. I think there are times when we can be in God's presence, but we're not specifically asking for anything. We're just enjoying His presence. But the Bible does very pointedly speak about prayerlessness and exhorts us again and again to pray and not to faint. The answer is yes and no.