Tag Archive

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16

Ever come to the end of a busy day and realized you forgot to eat? It could be just due to a whole lot of activity. Maybe some stressful situation has your adrenaline so high you never noticed the hunger pangs or heard your stomach growling for food. Perhaps you were so intent on completing some project that you simply had no interest in eating. When you finally took the time to sit and eat did you notice how good the food tasted? Even a dollar menu item from some fast food joint can taste like ‘kings food’ when you are that hungry.

Here’s another one. Have you ever finished some strenuous job and all the sudden you realized you would die if you didn’t have something to drink, to quench your thirst? A glass of water or lemonade can be mighty refreshing on a hot summer day. A hot mug of some beverage can really warm your insides when you are chilled to the bone. Hot cider by a roaring fire takes away all the cares of the world!

What about breathing? Ever come to the end of a day, walked into the house, kicked off your shoes and suddenly announced to the family, “You know. I just realized I haven’t taken a single breath today! I was so busy it totally slipped my mind!”

Of course not, you say. Such an idea is ludicrous. First of all, breathing is an involuntary reflex. Secondly you can’t get along without breathing. Breathing supplies the body with much needed oxygen for thinking, moving and life itself. Without breath, there is no life.

Maybe that’s why God made breathing involuntary. He knew we’d get to busy to eat. He knew we’d be too busy to replenish the water in our system. Things could get ugly in a hurry if we had to remember to breathe! It’s essential to our physical existence.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we put prayer in the same category as eating, drinking and breathing? I wonder how life would be different if we determined in our routine of things that we won’t leave home until we’ve spent time in prayer; we won’t begin that project at work without gathering our co-workers together for prayer; we won’t send our children off to school until we lay hands on them and pray together with them for their safety.

Impractical you say? Jesus didn’t think so. Even though he was the son of God he made certain that there was adequate time for prayer. He’d get up early in the morning to slip into the darkness to talk with his father. In the middle of the day he’d take time away to stroll into the wilderness for some Father/Son time. On a couple of occasions he walked right away from those to whom he was ministering so that he could pray.

If Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, the Messiah, and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords thought prayer was that important, then I should too. Make prayer as common a daily event as eating and breathing. It will change your life!

PRAYER: Father God. I confess to you that there are days my prayers are weak at best and sometimes non-existent. If my prayer life were on the same level as my eating and drinking I’d be in very poor health, if not dead! I ask that you would instill in me the realization of how important prayer is for my whole being. Empower me with your Spirit to MAKE time to pray. Not so I can see great things happen, but so that my relationship with you will grow stronger. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.