Pattern for Prayer

Mark 1:35

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place, and there He prayed.

I doubt there will be many who would minimize the need for prayer. Even many non-Christians (at least those who don't actively practice what the Bible defines as a Christian lifestyle) pray and may encourage others to pray. No matter what the religion or method, prayer is something that seems embedded in the human consciousness. During those myriad crises of life it seems that everyone is a proponent of and believer in the power of prayer.

Sadly, the majority of folks, Christian and non-Christian alike, seldom see the need for serious and continuing pattern for prayer. Prayer is much more than "Help me!" although that is most certainly a good and necessary one. Prayer is a time of spiritual devotion, a time to set aside for the purposes of coming to know more about yourself, your God, and His plan for your life.

If Jesus, the very Son of God, felt it necessary to get alone with the heavenly Father and pray, how much more should we have that need? How much more should we recognize just how much we need Him? The above verse is a wonderful pattern for our prayer life. You have heard preachers say that the Holy Scriptures remain a vibrant, living, and applicable source of hope and direction, an ancient book "as modern as tomorrow's newspaper." This is truly one verse that increases in truth with the passage of time.

The last time I checked, there was no shortage of things to occupy our attention. Job tasks, hobbies, entertainment, telephone calls, worry and stress all contribute to this busy lifestyle we all have. In fact, I would say that things such as this suck up our time like a sponge, and we are left with the questions: Where did all my time go? How can I make time for the Lord when I don't have time for anything else?

Well, it is in this instance that a rearrangement of priorities is required. The Bible tells us that God must be first in our life, but if we are truly honest with ourselves, too often all of us push the Lord down the list. But when our spiritual survival is in play, we must make sure that if we have time for nothing else that we DEFINITELY make time for God. To be most effective this requires us to not necessarily remove the distractions, but remove OURSELVES from the distractions.

Notice that Jesus didn't ask the crowds or disciples to leave, nor did He just wait around for them (and any other distractions) to leave Him. He made the move. During an otherwise quiet time (no one else was probably awake) He still got away to Himself, totally alone. Often our answer is to wait until the distractions leave us. We wait until our work day is over, we wait until the TV show is finished, we wait until dinner is concluded, we wait until our visitors or our families bid us a fond adieu, then we try to squeeze God into whatever time is left.

This can and will lead to spiritual ruin if we don't make the change. We must choose to get alone with God. If that requires going to a quiet room, going outside, going for a drive or just sitting in the car, we need to dedicate some time to talking to God, just Him and us. I know it might not always be convenient, but that is never been the point. The point is actually deciding to make the time no matter what. Jesus did, and it gave Him the strength He needed. It will do the same for us.

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