Bible Reading: Esther 7-10; Acts 6
“And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.” – Mark 1:35 (KJV)
Prayer is the kind of priority that lies at the root of life itself. As food is to life, so is prayer to living. When we rarely eat, our physical health will suffer. We’ll be weak and sick. It will affect our ability to carry on the activities of life. In a similar way, if we rarely pray, our spiritual life will lack vitality. We’ll approach the challenges and successes of life on our own, as though we are not totally dependent on God even for the gift of the very life we are living.
“And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;” – Luke 18:1. When we don’t pray, we faint, fear, become anxious, worry and bad events can happen at will in our lives. We become unsure of God’s love for us, unsure that God will stand with us in our problems. We feel alone and afraid, doubtful about our ability to cope with what life is bringing our way.
“Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation…” – Mark 14:38. Prayer is the key to breaking free from all fears and temptations, it is the grease that keeps the gears and wheels of life in good working order. It is in the course of prayer that we learn to see the true state of being; that we are creatures within a creation, dependent on our Maker(God) and on all the other parts of the creation, and as such, we are never alone.
“But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,” – Jude 1:20. Prayer is the perfect therapy for building up our spirit-man, and it’s free. We can take a moment for a quick spiritual connect in the form of silent prayer just about any time we want during the day. And we can set aside time for a good, long session at times that work with our schedules.
We can learn from Jesus’ early morning rising to a solitary place, as cited in our opening text, he got up early, before the regular day’s activities began. That is, seeing prayer as first priority of the day that will impact on all other priorities making them more manageable and less stressful during the course of the day. Let your prayer time be a time to relax and reflect in God’s presence and allow God to renew your strength and brighten your hope as you grow in faith.
Prayer: Father help me to set out time, place and plan to connect with You daily in Jesus Name.
Pastor Alfred Samuel