Mark
1:35 is
used often to support personal prayer time that is intentional, void of
distractions, and interruptions. It tells of Jesus spending “alone time” with
God. It says, “Early in the morning,
while it was still dark, Jesus got up and slipped out to a solitary place to
pray.”
We need our own prayer time. We need
our “alone time” where it is just “me and God” and nothing else. I am more
convinced, than ever before, that there’s no way any of us can reach our full
spiritual potential as Christian men and women without developing an
intentional, strong, deep life of daily personal prayer.
True
love demands union. True
union with God comes only through the life of prayer. I honestly believe God
is not going to fully satisfy your spiritual needs, and you are not
going to be entirely pleasing to Him, unless you make the time and the effort
to have a strong, deep life of daily personal prayer.
Your relationship with God depends
entirely on how much and how well you are willing to pray. When you hear the
name of great “saints” such as A.W. Tozer, Charles Spurgeon, D.L. Moody, and
Billy Graham, we must realize “the saints became saints” because they understood the incomparable
power of prayer!
They knew that prayer has the power to
change our lives and the lives of others — and they proved it with their lives.
So, ponder this: Am I truly convinced that there is power in my prayers? Or am
I just praying out of a sense of duty? Have I just considered prayer as a one-sided
conversation where I only “ask God for stuff?”
Have I ever thought of prayer as an
intimate conversation and do I honestly expect God to “show up” to meet with
me? Psalm
145:18, “The Lord is
near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Jeremiah 29:12, “Then you will call on me and come and pray
to me, and I will listen to you.”
Will you take a moment to reevaluate
your prayer life? Is it becoming routine? Do you find yourself doing more “asking”
than “seeking and listening?” Do you keep a prayer list or perhaps a journal?
Whatever your method, seek to do it
more….to include more….to remember others and your Church, more. Sacrifice more
time and seek the face of God in prayer. And, if necessary, like Jesus, get up
early, while it is still dark, to find that solitary place.