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"Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight,
He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed."
(Mark 1:35)
Jesus prayed. Let those words sink into your soul for a moment. Jesus prayed a lot. Now let that thought simmer in your mind for another moment. Why would the Son of God pray? He prayed to the Heavenly Father seeking His will and favor upon His life and ministry. So (you probably know where I am going with this), if Jesus thought it necessary to pray, and pray often, what does that say to you and me? It speaks profoundly to us all as followers of Christ. If I am going to hear God clearly, accomplish His will for my life, and enjoy His favor, then I must pray.
One of my favorite professors in seminary was Dr. Bruce Leafblad. He challenged us as students to spend an hour in prayer and Bible study each day. I accepted his challenge in 1986, and it has changed my life! I am not a morning person, nor am I a night owl, so that makes me... well, I am not quite sure! But anyhow, the first thing I do when I get up each morning is kneel in prayer, then go make coffee for Ashley and me, and then go to the Word of God, read, and pray some more. I love this time with Jesus, this tryst, which is a meeting between two lovers. Jesus is the lover of our souls, and what a joy it is to commune with Him each day and throughout the day.
How is your prayer time? I don't think any of us live the Christian life any better than we pray. I also believe strongly that there is a direct correlation in our prayer lives and our victory over sin, our obedience in witnessing for Christ, and our overall effectiveness in living for Christ in this crazy world. You may wonder if Jesus would have prayed as much in the 21st century as He did in the first century. After all, we do have a pretty frenetic pace. No more horses and carriages or walking everywhere we go. No, this is a day of dashing from one meeting to the next. Nevertheless, I can answer the question for you quickly: Yes! Jesus would pray as much if He walked on the earth now as He did when He was here in the flesh back then.
You can do many things after you pray but nothing until you pray. The first thing I do, and I mean the very first thing I do to begin every day, is to go to my knees and pray to God. I worship Him and bless His holy name. I pray to the one, true, living God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. It is a wonderful way to begin each day! Try it.
This week, I will write on the topic of prayer and hopefully share some helpful motivations to augment your prayer life. Pray with me now, asking God to speak to you and guide you to be more of a man or woman of prayer.
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Build a stronger, more confident faith!
Pastor Danny gives you God’s answers to life’s big questions in his 7-message series, Explore God.
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Family Goals, Pt. 1: the Triangle
Pastor Danny begins a new series of episodes called "Family Goals" with his wife, Ashley. To start the series, they share their story of finding each other, falling in love, getting married, and starting a family. They also discuss how the most critical element of a successful marriage, it's foundation, should be each person's relationship with God and putting God first, each other next, above oneself, and children third.
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