“and said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”
Luke 22:46
The Nest is a group of ladies at our church, who gather twice a month on Sunday afternoons, to pray specifically for our families and personal situations. The last few months have been more hurried and my prayer time for my family has not been as intentional as it should be. Our Nest meeting was a great reminder of how powerful our time spent in prayer can be. Beyond the countless stories in the Bible describing the power of prayer, in that moment, only one example came to mind.
Jesus sought time to pray throughout his ministry and He taught His disciples how to pray. But we see one pivotal time that Jesus asked that His disciples pray for Him. Praying alongside Jesus, for Jesus, seems amazing in itself, but we see that even the disciples faltered at times. The disciples began their time in prayer but soon fell asleep, only to be woken by Jesus. Jesus returned two times to remind the disciples that the time was drawing near and called them to pray once again. The disciples had the amazing opportunity to pray for and with Jesus and they found themselves like we often do, tired and distracted by the things of this world.
Time spent with the Lord is a privilege. I was humbled and convicted about guarding that time. In those moments, the Lord wanted them in prayer, side by side with Him. The Lord desires that time with us, so that we are strengthened when we face trials. The time spent with the Nest group is treasured. Private time with the Lord, is where He reveals to us what His plans and purposes are, where we pray for others and their trials, and when we see the Lord’s goodness and grace in His deliverance. Since time is fleeting, I want to spend more of mine with the Lord and seeking what He would have me to do. I no longer want to be found tired, weary and asleep. Since the Lord does not grow tired or weary, I cannot think of a better way to spend that Sunday afternoon in preparation for the coming week, but in prayer.
If you have not set aside a time to spend with the Lord, then start today! Who or what needs your dedicated prayer today? You will not regret the time you spent with the Lord!