Night Time? Right Time.

[This week's blogs are reflections based on Pastor Sam's sermon series on the Lord's Prayer.]

How does one develop a prayer life that models the prayers of Jesus?

Today, let's reflect on the importance of consistency in prayer.

“Pray without ceasing.” (First Thessalonians 5:17)

Earlier this week we referred to the Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-8) as an example of transformation in prayer. Pastor Sam's recounting of that passage generated a few thoughts in my mind, a couple of which I'll share here:

Was this a unique occurrence, or did Jesus always have these awesome prayer times with the Father?
I'm thinking that it was the norm for Jesus to have some sort of physical or spiritual phenomenon occur as a normal part of His prayer life. As Pastor Sam shared the past two times he preached, the disciples must have had a reason for asking the question, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Maybe something He said, or something they saw. But there was some indicator that He was praying in a fashion that they wanted to emulate.

In the Scripture, on more than one occasion, we see that the disciples Peter, James, and John would fall asleep during Jesus's prayer sessions (Luke 9:32; Luke 22:45). I wonder if Jesus's face was reflecting the glory of God many a time, but the disciples had missed it because they slept through the manifestation.

What is it that keeps us from having profound experiences in prayer?
Well, I could say that prayer is hard work and we don't like to work so hard. But I see lots of hard-working people, and lots of praying people. Maybe it's rather that we have not developed a consistency in prayer.

How do we develop consistency? One way is through an ever-deepening relationship with God. As the Holy Spirit helps us to grow in grace, we increase in love for God and love for others. This love-fest births in us the desire to remain in the company and presence of our Lord.

A sense of obligation might cause us to get up at 3 in the morning for prayer. But what sort of prayer is generated from a heart that says “I have to do this”? Release yourself from obligation. Trade it in for love, a love that grows over time. And you may find that your getting up at 3 a.m. for prayer is a joyous loving exercise, because you are spending precious time with the Lover of your soul. Not because you have to, but because you long to (Psalm 42:1).

This is a good place for a cautious commercial. Our church is having a prayer meeting on February 17 from 8 p.m. to midnight. In Bibical terms, the meeting overlaps the first and second watches of the night. According to the template Jesus has established, night time is a wonderful time to pray.

But it's not so wonderful if you're showing up out of obligation.
It's not wonderful if your prayers are not in sync with God's agenda. Remember the Lord's Prayer? “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done”. Let us pray in a way that lines up squarely with the Word of God.

Yes Lord, the cry of our heart echoes the request of your disciples: "Lord, teach us to pray.”