By Not Known
Most of us feel guilty for not praying enough. In fact, one sure way to make someone avoid you is to ask, “How is your prayer life?”
How is my prayer life? What do you mean? Why would you ask? Are you asking, how long I pray? Or, how often I pray? Or, how many people do I pray for? Or, how much faith do I have when I pray? Or, how many of my prayers were answered?
But seriously, if a person was to really ask you this question, this person is concerned about your spiritual life and would be most interested in hearing about your spiritual journey and learning from you… for to walk with God and trust in Him is to pray.
Jesus prayed. He doesn’t just believe in God. In His life and ministry, He took time to pray. His prayer was an ongoing conversation with the Almighty God. His prayer was not just talking with God but regular conversational exchanges. He showed us that prayer is not a competition about how long we pray or how intense our prayer should be. For Jesus, prayer was the natural outcome of that relationship between Him and His Father. Those exchanges strengthened His resolve, sustained and empowered His ministry to people, and helped him deal with disappointments and obstacles.
He took time for public ministry and time to interact with his inner circle of disciples. But He also took time to enter into His most personal space with God in prayer. He would go away in private to have those deep times of communication with His Father. In the course of His ministry, He would also look up to heaven and exchange words with the Father. Like in John 11:42 when He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, He looked to heaven and said, “I thank you that you hear me. I know that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here.” His conversation with the Father is also for our benefit so that we may learn from His relationship with God.
So, how is your prayer life? Our prayer life is a major indicator of our relationship with God. To have a healthy relationship with God is to have a stimulating and meaningful prayer life. It is not about how long we pray, or who we pray for or whether our prayers are constantly answered. It is about our relationship with God.
Jesus prayed in many circumstances. He prayed when life was draining and tiring; when He faced choices; when He was sad and laden with deep concerns; when demands overwhelmed His journey; and when His followers faced insurmountable problems. If He could go away to be alone, He would; otherwise, wherever He was, He would take the time for that conversation with His Father.
How is your prayer life? I hope that after whorship today, you will take the time to ask each other this question and really listen and learn from one another.
Peter Poon