Sorry for the delay, there was a slight technical glitch this morning and this first post dropped few hours late.
Day #1: “Finding a Time and a Place”
Mark 1:35-39 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, [Jesus] departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, 37 and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.” 38 And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may preach there also, for that is why I came out.” 39 And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Our goal for this reading program is to encourage our readers toward a revitalized prayer life. We hope to do that through a wide range of methods. We will teach, encourage and model. There is a benefit to learning about prayer and deeper theological understanding of the one we pray to absolutely helps us to grow in our knowledge of prayer. That is why we will spend so much time in the coming weeks reflecting on who God is and why he invites us to pray with confidence.
Some of what we need is also extremely practical. When the disciples came to Jesus asking for him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1), it was immediately after Jesus had just been away praying, “in a certain place.” Apparently, it was the pattern for Jesus to go away to pray. This is very practical to consider. On one hand, we can pray anywhere and at any time. For example, the Apostle Paul urges us to pray “without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17.) and Jesus believed that his Father in Heaven always heard him (John 11:42.) But, Jesus also models a commitment to setting aside a specific time and place for prayer. Since he was an itinerant preacher, he did not always go to the same location. But he would intentionally seek out a “desolate place” in the early morning hour (v.35.) The reason seems obvious enough from the text. He wanted to go somewhere that he could not be interrupted. In this particular case he was successful. The people could not find him. Even his disciples had to search for awhile before he could be located (v.36.)
Some people excuse their lack of structure in prayer by appealing to their desire to have ongoing and spontaneous prayer. But we see from the life of Jesus that this is not an either/or proposition. In fact, most people find that a regular and intentional time of prayer encourages them to have more spontaneous prayers throughout the rest of the day. By way of analogy, when a married couple has a regular “date night” it does not prevent them from having spontaneous conversation during their normal schedules. In fact, most people say that “date nights” make conversation easier during the rest of life because we are establishing better patterns of communication.
What does this tell us about prayer? Even Jesus found it was important to be intentional to find a place and a time that were conducive to prayer. Practically speaking, this is one of the most important things for us to consider. If you want to have a revitalized prayer life, give some consideration to when and how you can pray.
- Historically, many Christians made the effort to ensure that their days were punctuated by frequent prayer. Monks prayed eight times a day*. Daniel prayed three times a day (Dan. 6:10.) Many Christians have aimed to pray in the morning and at night. During this reading program, you may be looking to build more intentional patterns into your life. We are not aiming for a “one-size-fits-all” approach on how often to pray or for how long – because God does not give us that command. For our purposes, let’s start by assuming that most of us are simply looking to have one time each day that we pray alone. We can build on that by seeking intentional times of prayer with others throughout other parts of the day.
- First question: What is a good time for you to pray? Jesus found it helpful to “rise early.” For many people that is the best way to start the day on the right note. But others find that setting aside lunch, or having a mid-morning break is the most realistic. Start by looking at your current schedule:
- Where does it make sense to fit a time for prayer into your schedule?
- What are ways that you might change your schedule (as you are able) to make this work better?
- Second question: How long should I pray? Of course, this is a little like asking, “how long should date-night last?” Because prayer is a relational activity, putting exact time limits on it can be problematic. But our goal is to be practical. Unless you set aside the time, prayer is unlikely to happen. The best question is, “how much time should I set aside?” Again, the answer is personal. If you are not praying at all, aiming for 10 minutes to read this blog and follow up with prayer might be the most realistic place to start. Others find that creating larger space is more desirable. Just like a diet or an exercise program, unrealistic expectations can burden us and prevent us from actually making a good start. Be realistic, but be intentional.
- Third question: Where should I pray? This is more important than people often appreciate. Jesus felt that the location was important enough that he traveled to a “desolate place.” Consider how you can find a location that is free from distractions and conducive to prayer. Near a window… with good light… away from the TV… with your phone on silent… when the kids are not around… these are all important considerations.
That’s enough for today. We’re praying that God will help you take this step to know him better and interacting with him in a way that leads to greater spiritual fruitfulness. (MK)
* There were a lot of problems with monastic spirituality. While we can admire their commitment to prayer, it often came at the cost of minimizing other areas of Christian faithfulness.