The alarm, or alarms if you're like me, go off in the morning, our feet hit the ground, we drink a cup a coffee and hurry out the door. Some of us drive to work while others scurry to drop off the kids. We reply to emails, answer phone calls, maybe listen to a sermon and read our Bible. Before we know it, it hits 5:00 and it is time for us to head home to make dinner, work on homework, get the kids to bed, tidy around the house, and watch a T.V. show before we fall back into bed to restart the process. But it strikes the question, when did I spend time away, talking to the Lord today?
If you are like me, then you can often be ashamed of your answer. Most of us would likely admit that our prayer life is not one to brag about. We might admit that there are days when we talk to a hundred different people, and not one of them is the Lord. In Luke 5, we are given Jesus' example of a devoted prayer life.
Prayer Tip #25 - Be Devoted to Prayer
"So He [being Jesus] Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." - Luke 5:16
This was a time in Jesus' ministry when word was getting out about who He was and what He was doing. Crowds were beginning to follow Him, waiting to see Him preform miracles. He had all these pressures of various kinds competing for His time and attention. Yet, even though Jesus was God, and even though He was unbelievably busy, nothing seemed to deter Jesus from spending extensive time in prayer. He still sought to get alone and spend time with the Father.
So we need to reflect now on our own prayer life. In light of this passage of Scripture, what is keep us from spending time in prayer? Maybe we need to set the alarm 30 minutes earlier. Maybe instead of that new episode on Hulu, we need to chose to get on our knees and pray. Whatever it might be, we need to get it out of the way and spend time alone with God, taking our requests to Him, praising Him for His blessings upon us, and praying for His grace and mercy in our lives.
Please remember to take time to call a friend this week to pray and agree to believe God together.
Prayer Points - (Pray over these requests)
Ask the Lord to reveal what is keeping you from Him.
Pray that you would grow in your devotion to prayer.
Ask God to help you remember to pray throughout all times of the day.
Make a scheduled time to spend with God in prayer.
Thank God for the example Jesus has given us to pray.
SUGGESTED PRAYER -
Dear Heavenly Father, we thank You for prayer. We are humbled that we can pray to You and know You. Help us to be devoted to prayer. Forgive us for our short comings and help us to do better. Thank You for the example Jesus set for us. Help us to follow after Him.
In Jesus' Name, Amen