10 When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he
went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward
Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave
thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
I recently read a passage of Scripture regarding the call
to pray that really struck a chord in my heart. Matthew 26: 36-46 recounts the
instance when Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples to
pray. We find that at a certain point, Jesus instructs the majority of the
disciples to stay back while asking Peter, James, and John to come with Him
deeper into the garden to pray. Then the Bible says that Jesus “went a little
further to pray.”
There is something to be said about the example of Jesus
illustrated in those five words: “a little further to pray”. When God desires
to take us further in our purpose, He calls us to go further in our prayer
life. And in order to go a little further in our purpose, we must purpose to go
a little further in our prayers. Sometimes prayer requires an extra effort or a
greater intention; sometimes it needs to be elevated in our priorities.
I once read that if
you don’t have a time and place to pray, it won’t happen. Having a set time and place or an appointment
on the calendar helps in making our prayer life more consistent. Sometimes when
God wants to take us “a little further,” He calls us to change not the length
of our prayer time but the consistency of it.
Our prayer life is not the litmus test for our spiritual
discipline but rather the indicator of the health of our relationship with God.
Relationships are built and sustained by constant communication. Of course, God
already knows the details of our lives, but there is an expressed dependence upon
God when we invite Him into those details. The man or woman who does not pray
is essentially telling God, “I've got this,” revealing alarming pride and
self-sufficiency.
God desires to take us beyond what we can do in our own
strength in order to fulfill His purpose in our lives. But truthfully, we can
only journey in our calling insofar as we’ve paved the distance in prayer.
God equips us for our destiny in the moments we share with
Him in prayer.
How consistent is your prayer life? Do you have a designated
time and place to pray?
Dear Lord, help us to set a place and time for prayer. We
know we can’t do this thing called life without you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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