Prayer

The WORD today (See http://usccb.org/bible/readings/091013.cfm) reminds me how important prayer is as we work for God.

It is inspiring, at the same time challenging, to see how much Jesus loves and values prayer. In the gospel, we see Jesus doing an all-nighter. He prayed in the mountain all night. That was after working for God – healing people and preaching about God’s kingdom. Personally, I cannot say I have that much love for prayer. Unlike Jesus, I don’t spend a lot of time in prayer, not all night. We all get tired, even if we are working for God, and sometimes it becomes an excuse not to pray. “Lord, I work for you anyway, hope it’s alright not to pray because I’m tired.” Well, we see that this is not the case for Jesus. in fact, even if he worked hard, he prayed even harder.

We also see how important prayer is. It helps him know God more. He prayed all night before he chose the twelve Apostles. In his life, we can see that Jesus prayed hard before making important decisions. This aligns him to the will of the Father, to make sure what he will be doing is God’s will, not his. Also, though it may take time from his physical rest, prayer also refreshes him and allows him to continue serving God more. It nourishes him. As we see that after choosing the 12, he went on and continued healing and preaching.

How important is prayer in my life? Do I pray? Do I have a fixed time for it, or do I just pray when I remember to? What excuses or reasons do I have for not spending enough, unhurried time for prayer? How can I improve my prayer life?

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for reminding me how important and powerful prayer is. Lord, I am sorry for not making the most out of prayer. Sorry for all excuses and all the reasons I give you for not having enough unhurried time for prayer. Lord, I pray that you give me a heart for prayer. Like Jesus, may I have a great love and desire for prayer, so I will always be aligned with your will, and I will always be recharged as I do your work. This I ask in Jesus name, Amen.

Blessed day!

In Christ,

-g-