Distracted Prayer
We live in a “noisy” world. It seems that every waking hour is filled with an onslaught of clamoring sights and sounds that relentlessly bombard our eyes and ears. Around the clock, something is always vying for our attention. New Testament times weren’t as different as you might think, particularly for Jesus. Luke records that he had to “withdraw to desolate places” to engage in undistracted times of prayer (5:16; 6:12; cf. Mk.1:35).
If this was Christ’s necessary practice, we would be foolish to think that we could ever garner the spiritual strength and emboldened faith that we need without fighting for those guarded respites of secluded prayer. We cannot afford not to invest in these times of solitude, pouring out our hearts and petitions to God, especially when the world’s “noise” is often so hostile to our faith (1Jn.2:16-17; Ps.62:8). Prayer is the indispensable means by which we acquire and maintain our strength and spiritual vitality (Heb.4:15-16).
So find a desolate place and extend your times of prayer this week. Make prayer a priority, knowing that those quiet moments of communion with God will reap the essential resources that you need to live for Christ in the 21st century.
--Pastor Mike
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