Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. (Matt. 26:40)
Four-year-old Mandy sat on the lap of Justin, her father, as he looked at paintings of Jesus on the Internet. Justin, a pastor, wanted to put an illustration of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane in Sunday’s bulletin, to accompany his sermon. One painting caused his little girl some concern. “Daddy,” she began, “who are those other guys hiding in the shadow while Jesus is praying?” Justin replied, “Those are Jesus’ disciples. They fell asleep.” “Shame on them,” said Mandy. Later that night, after tucking his daughter into bed, Justin prayed, “Lord, help me keep watch with You more often.”
What keeps us from spending more time in prayer? And what can we do about it?
Lack of interest? Believers need to take in what the Bible teaches about prayer and praying people to know how important prayer is to their lives.
Lack of faith? Again, regular study of the Word of God will bolster your faith and encourage you to spend more time with the Lord.
Lack of opportunity? Many believers claim they don’t have the time to pray, but simply need to rearrange their schedules and make prayer a priority. How much time is spent each day on entertainment? On social media? Or on other trivia?
Jesus wants you to spend time in prayer. And He will help you to overcome any obstacle in the way.
Keep a written record of prayers.
Paul Zinter serves as a substitute teacher. He enjoys writing, bread making, and teaching at his local church.
