“But
Jesus often withdrew into lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16)
Every
true Christian should have a prayer life; a time to have a one-on-one encounter
with the Master, our Lord and Saviour. We do so because we have come to realise
that we are not self-energised and that we need our daily rations of energy to
see us through the day. It is like we need to have our batteries charged at the
start of the day to be able to live through every single moment otherwise we
would be walking in our own strength, in our own ability and that would not be
a wise move. We do not have the slightest inkling what awaits us in the arena
of life. We do not have a clue what challenges will disembark on us with full
force at any given day.
We
cannot on a daily basis foresee what will happen to us – living in this evil
and wicked world. Therefore, we need to take a pre-emptive stand. Take time out
to ward off every plan the devil has set up for us, to harm us. The devil,
whose agenda is to kill, steal and destroy, (John 10:10) will not spare us. Our
defence lies in the coverage and assurance we receive from God to face any
danger, mishap or fiery dart that the enemy would launch at us.
Taking
our cue from our Lord Jesus Christ, we do not only need to pray daily; we need
to discipline ourselves to rise up early in order to see the Father’s face, to
enquire of Him what He wants us to accomplish for that particular day. We need
to spend quality time in the Father’s presence listening to Him and speaking to
Him. It will be time well spent.
We
read that “... Jesus often withdrew into lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16)
-- away from the din and bustle of this world; away from any distraction even
from within the family. The only time we can achieve this is when the rest of
the family is still fast asleep, the mobile telephone tucked away out of sight.
For no sooner dawn breaks that it becomes literally impossible to fully
concentrate in prayer.
“Very
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.” (Mark 1:35)
One
on One
Whilst
prayer can be done corporately or in small groups, there is something special
about ‘solitary prayer’ – you alone with your Father. Not even your spouse. Our
Lord Jesus gave us this formula: “But when you pray, go into your room, close
the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees
what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6) “... Jesus went out to a mountainside to
pray, and spent the night praying to God.” (Luke 6:12)
The
simplest definition of prayer is ‘talking to God.’ Sometimes we will cry or
shout unto Him, lay our anxieties at His feet. At other times, we may plead
with Him for His intervention. It is not about how hard we pray, but how often
we engage in a dialogue with the Father. It is neither about presenting God
with a shopping list nor about assaulting Him with a litany of woes. Oh no! We
cherish a quiet time with the Father to receive just one word from Him – a word
for the moment or for the circumstances.
We
need a word of assurance to soothe our wounds; a word of comfort whenever we
tread the path of adversity. To be governed by the mind of Christ. We must have
a listening ear. The Bible says that before we open out mouths God knows what
is in our hearts. “For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
(Matthew 6:8)
“And
when you pray, do not do like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in
the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men, I tell you the
truth, they have received their reward in full.” (Matthew 6:5)
The
Mind of Christ
Anyone
who sincerely seeks the face of The Father can do so only by prayer. No matter
the number of times we make our appeals to God, He is always there to listen to
us. He can never be weary of listening to our prayers. How could He when He
neither slumbers nor sleeps? Though prayer may seem like a beaten track, it is
indispensable as a medium to keep in touch with God.
We
cannot overly underline the importance of prayer as a tool for understanding
the things of God. Some people use it to try and manipulate God to grant them
their wishes rather than their needs.
From whatever angle you perceive prayer, we must remember that God sees
our hearts; nothing is hidden from Him. What we say or have not said, He is
fully aware of.
God
is not like a water dispenser or an ATM machine. He is not a ‘Gimme! Gimme!’
God either. Nothing can separate us from His love but there are a lot of
benefits when we nurture a relation with Him – not from time to time, nor on a
needs-basis – but rather continually. God is our Father who loves us in spite
of what we might think or do. He wants His relationship with His Children to
grow and the platform will be on a firm ground.
I
do not know where your relationship is with the Father - whether close or
distant? He is looking out for you to return to Him. Return to Him in the
secret place. Just as a plant’s roots are watered for growth, we also must be
rooted in Christ. Abide in me and I in you. “If you remain in me and my words
remain in you, [then and only then] can you ask whatever you wish, and it will
be given to you.” (John 15:7)
“Let
the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your
sight O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer.”
Amen!
