Day 2: 31 Days in Prayer

Day 2: 31 Days in Prayer

Verse:

And after He had sent the crowds away, Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone. (Matt 14:23 - TB)

Reflection:

There is a book titled “Too Busy Not to Pray” by Bill Hybels. Have you read it? It is a simple book, yet it explores thoughts about our lives, and the reasons we make because of our busy days. In my own life, prayer is the first thing I must do before doing my work. I have begun to rely more on the power and strength gained through the Spirit of God within me than on my own experience. Try to think about the busiest time in your life. Consider the amount of time you have each day. Maybe it is only a little time. Maybe your schedule and priorities are so crowded that you begin to think that praying every day is only part of a routine. Now think about Jesus, the busiest person who has ever lived on earth. Wasn’t He busy? My answer is based on the fact that He knew every sin of every human being in the world, whether in the past or in the future. All of that was in His mind, yet His heart could constantly keep the balance of His divine characteristics. What is more, He maintained self-control to fight every temptation to sin throughout His whole life. He never failed even once in His purpose to be righteous. Beyond that, He knew from the beginning of time that He would bear the shameful disgrace of the cross for the sinners He created. In addition, the amount of intentional love He had for people would likely have made Him busier than everyone who has ever lived. But above all that, He prayed without ceasing and with His whole heart. He made His relationship with God the priority above everything else.

Challenge:

Today, go somewhere by yourself to pray. I want to emphasize very strongly the word "alone." Right now, we can convince ourselves that we are busier and have less opportunity than ever before, simply because the phone in our pocket keeps ringing, buzzing, flashing, and notifying us about someone, somewhere, with something in the society we live in now, that must be noticed and responded to immediately. If you are not like this, you are one of the lucky people (or you really do intentionally live far away from everyone). For me, to go and pray alone means you leave your phone behind, you leave your Apple Watch behind, you take your Bible, and you go somewhere without people, to connect with God. If Jesus, God in the flesh, needed time alone to pray, then what about us?

Translated from the article “31 Days of Prayer: Day 2” by Daniel Berk