Prayer a priority

Quintus Heine

Mark 1:35 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.

For Jesus, prayer was a priority. In the busiest times, he did not feel that he even had to rest or sleep first. No, he realised that it was in precisely such times that he needed prayer with his Father! I get the feeling that many people think prayer is a luxury and that we can do without it. Well, the Bible teaches the contrary. There are many examples, such as Daniel, who regularly prayed every day because his relationship with God was important to him.

We are prepared to get up early for many things, but very few people do it for religious practices! Martin Luther said that when he had a busy day ahead of him, he spent even more time in prayer that morning. Dwight Moody once said: "If your program is so full you do not have time to pray, you are busier than God intended you to be."

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a business person whose diary is full to the brim or whether you’re someone who travels a lot. It doesn’t matter what you are busy with, if you do not have time to pray, your life is unbalanced and you need to attend to it urgently. Believers must make time to pray - this is your spiritual breath. You will suffocate spiritually if do not prioritise your prayer relationship.

Sometimes people think their life is actually a prayer and that they do not need to set aside time specifically for prayer. Of course, our lifestyles are a prayer to God, but he still asks us to make time especially for him. Like the example of the Lord Jesus, you must make time to pray; otherwise you, and not Jesus, will be the most important person in your life.

You can read my prayer blog here: http://www.communitas.co.za/blogs/gebed

Prayer: Lord teach me to regard prayer as a priority and to always make time for it. Amen.