Together - Daily DevotionalSample

The place of prayer 

After the Passover meal, Jesus and his disciples walked a short distance to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives where He prayed alone. One of the key elements in the process of spiritual growth is personal, individual prayer. We might simply define prayer as communication with God because it involves both talking and listening to God. 

Jesus pre-eminently was a man of prayer.  We read in Luke 5:16 that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed”.  Similarly, Mark 1:35 records that “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”. In Luke 6:12-13 Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before choosing His disciples the following morning.  Jesus particularly emphasised the importance of prayer in passages such as Luke 11:1-13 and 18:1-14. 

In prayer, “the focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense His grace” (Matt.6:6 Message). But in Gethsemane, when Jesus found His disciples sleeping He explained “there is a part of us eager for God, but another part of us that’s as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire” (Matt.26:41 Message).

Prayer: Lord, help me to overcome my laziness, because I am eager that You teach me to pray so I can begin to sense Your grace