How often I failed in my duty to God, because I was not leaning on the strong pillar of prayer.
~ St. Teresa of Avila
Mark 1
Jesus Prays in a Solitary Place
35Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. 36Simon and his companions went to look for him, 37and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!
I think each of us would agree that no one in human history has ever been as close to God as was Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was the most God-centered and God-connected person who ever lived. Now some might just make the comment, "Well, of course, he was close to God; he was after all the Son of God." Well, I want to suggest that it's one thing to have the status of being the Son; it's another altogether to live as one who truly is in a Sonship bond with the Father.
Jesus was not only the Son of God by God's designation; he was the Son of God because he constantly prioritized time with God; he made sure he spent dedicated time in prayer and reflection on God's will and God's ways. In other words, Jesus had a strong relationship with the Father not just because of his status with God but also because he spent dedicated time with God.
Let me illustrate in a practical way. What kind of marriage relationship would a husband and wife if they rarely spent time together, if they rarely talked? Not much. What kind of parenting relationship would you have with your children if you rarely spent time with them, if you rarely communicated with them? Not a good one. What kind of friendship would you have if you rarely really communicated or connected with one another? You get the point.
Well, the same is true of God. How can one expect to have a close relationship with God if you don't spend time with Him in prayer? Want to feel God's presence in your life more fully? Make prayer a priority.
Now, I used to believe and preach that one had to spend dedicated and disciplined time in prayer for an extended time to really receive the benefit of God's presence and God's power. Now I still believe that there are some things we cannot and will not get from God without this dedicated and disciplined prayer time. Yet, I've also come to realize that honest, sincere, focused brief moments with God matter also. There is a prayer that I pray frequently during the day and sincerely mean it, "God give me strength. God give me wisdom. God help me care. God help me serve." These brief but sincere moments spoken several times during the day really do connect me to the power and presence of God in a special way.
|
