Midweek Message - Time to Pray

Midweek Message – Time to Pray

Mark 1:35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. (NRSV)

Let’s be honest, we often neglect taking time to pray, and instead give God quick requests about needing blessings for us, our families, and our plans. We've turned prayer into a brief spiritual interruption in our busy lives, sending the Lord urgent requests as if they were telepathic texts. Unfortunately, this isn't enough to build a strong relationship with our Creator. If we think we're too busy to pray, then as old preachers used to say: we're just too busy.

Jesus was also extremely busy during His time on Earth; every day included teaching, healing, solving problems, and guiding His disciples. He likely had very little time to relax. However, despite constant demands and interruptions, He still made time to pray by deliberately rising early to be alone with God. Similarly, Martin Luther, the great Reformer of the Church, who also had a very busy schedule, was once asked how he found time to pray. He responded by saying: "I get up an hour earlier to pray before my work begins."

Perhaps, then, if we want to spend some quality time in prayer, offering God our thanks, requests, praises, and petitions, then we should also make time to pray in the earlier and quieter part of our day. And if we are truly concerned about our personal circumstances, national issues, and global situations, we should purposely set aside time to pray, and then quietly listen for God’s response.

Point to ponder: When do I make time to pray?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You taught us how to pray and why we should pray, but You also revealed to us when we should pray. Encourage and enable all of us to quietly make time to talk to You faithfully, fully, and effectively before our scheduled day begins. In Your Holy Name, we ask. Amen.

John Stuart is a Scottish Presbyterian pastor now living in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Short devotion: Sanctuary - Psalm 141:2

 

Today’s Bible readings can be found at this link: Psalm 141:1-10 & Acts 21:1-14.

 Psalm 141:2    May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice. (NIV)

 In ancient Bible times, people used to stand before the altar in the Temple and raise their hands as they prayed to God. It was a beautiful way to focus on what needed to be expressed and the scent of the incense, along with the rising smoke, made the person praying feel assured that their words were being carried up to God in the heavens. The sanctuary, therefore, became a holy place of safety and security, as well as of hope and faith.

 For most folks today, the loss of sanctuary is being keenly felt during this pandemic. That familiar and sacred space where we would gather to worship, as well as to pray, has been temporarily taken from us. It means that we’re left with a spiritual emptiness which cannot be filled with anything else. Some may say that the church building is not important, but that’s not true: sanctuaries have always been a part of our faith and it’s where we mostly encounter God’s presence with His gathered people. Like the psalmist of old, we need a sacred space where we can quietly sit or stand before God, expressing to Him our worries and issues, as well as our confessions and complaints.

 Hopefully, one day soon, we can gather again as a people of God in our sanctuaries. After Thanksgiving, our own sanctuary will open during the week for church folks to drop in and quietly pray. The sacred space is still there; the holiness of God can still be found in that peaceful place which is dearly missed and fondly loved by all of us.

 Point to ponder: What have been some of the most memorable experiences for me in the church sanctuary?

 Prayer: Lord Jesus, even You found sanctuary in the synagogues You visited each Sabbath and the Temple that You attended during special feasts. We miss being together in our sanctuary, so please help us to find a safe and reassuring way to enter that dear holy place. In Your Sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

 John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you want to see what’s happening at the church, visit the website at www.erinpres.org.

 Today’s image is one of John’s psalm drawings based on Psalm 85. If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Psalm 85.