Very early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place,
where he prayed.
Mark 1:35
If Jesus Christ our Lord, the holy and perfect son of God, made prayer a continual priority while He was in human form on this earth, then surely you and I need to do likewise.
Following the example of Jesus in this passage, we note that:
- Prayer is a priority. Jesus did this first.
- Jesus had to get up early to find time to pray. (And lest you think an early morning only happens with an early bedtime and calm day before, back up a few verses to read about the “day before” for Jesus.)
- Prayer is personal. There are many examples of Jesus praying with His disciples and praying in public, but His first-prayer-of-the-morning was in private. He got off alone to avoid the distractions.
We talk about prayer. When we hear troubling news from a friend, we respond, “I’ll pray for you.” We would raise our hands and vote for prayer if there were a prayer election. But I ask you this deeply personal and soul-searching question: Do we really pray?
Is prayer a proverbial Hail Mary that we throw up as we dash from place to place? Is it a mutter under our breath … or perhaps just a good intention that never becomes reality?
In our Write the Word this month, we are doing something just a bit different in honor of the National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 5th, which was instituted in 1952 when President Harry Truman signed into law a joint resolution of Congress. On this day, once per year, citizens of our nation gather together and pray. This year is particularly poignant because many of us were denied the opportunity to gather on this day in 2020 and 2021.
For the follower of Christ, however, prayer should be more than an annual event. It should be a daily, continual priority. Prayer is vital for our survival.
When we are “prayed up” in advance, we have peace before the challenge. The football team really wins Friday night’s game during the grueling practice and preparation on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Likewise, as Christ-followers, we prepare best for surgery, family reunions, difficult meetings, parenting, and every other challenge life brings by praying in advance.
Oswald Chambers (one of the folks I’m most looking forward to meeting in heaven) said it well:
Prayer does not fit us for the greater works;
prayer is the greater work.
Whether prayer is already a priority for you, or you find your heart stirred to begin making it so, I pray this month’s Write the Word will inspire and equip you to learn from those whose prayers are recorded in the Bible.
Rather than only 1-2 daily verses, this month I’ve selected a daily passage that highlights a specific prayer in the Bible. After reading the passage, please choose a verse or phrase to write in your journal. Then allow it to prompt prayer to God.
I would like to invite you to post your thoughts (and your prayers) below. We would love to pray for you. And if your request is too personal for public posting, please email me directly.
Are you ready to be like Jesus –
to get up, get alone, and get praying?
In this week’s Friday devotional video, Laura took the opportunity to introduce this month’s Write the WORD topic by unpacking Mark 1:35-39, which tells about Jesus getting up early to be alone with His Father.
The May bookmark is a bit different than usual. Each day of the month will feature a different prayer found in the Bible. Rather than write the entire passage, we encourage you to read the prayer and then choose a verse (or verses) from the prayer that speaks to you, and write that in your journal. Both our Sunday Soaking posts and the Friday teaching videos will each highlight one of the prayers from the bookmark.
If you have not yet downloaded the May Write The WORD bookmark or the optional S.O.A.P. study pages, we hope you’ll visit our Downloads page and get your copy today!
