Finding time to Pray

 READ: Exodus 5, 6; Psalm 28; Matthew 14:22-39.

SCRIPTURE:  Matthew 14:22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone.

OBSERVATION: After a long day of work and ministering to a large crowd, after the miracle of feeding all the people who were with him, Jesus went up on a mountain side to pray. After witnessing Jesus' ministry of healing the sick (Mt.14:14), after seeing the miracle of  multiplication of food that filled and satisfied all (besides women and children, men alone 5000) who ate  (Mt.14:15-21), all those around him surely would not have liked to go away from Jesus. They may have had different aspirations and expectations (Jn.6:14,15) about Jesus. But, "immediately Jesus made the disciples" to go to the other side, while he sent the people to their homes. Literal meaning of this verse says, Jesus "compelled" or "constrained" his disciples to go into the boat and went up to pray. "He was there alone." In other words, he was alone with God. Even when Jesus was healing people and ministering to large crowds, he was able to find time to pray and spent it alone with God. The way he sent his disciples "immediately" shows us what is his priority.

APPLICATION: Finding time to read the Bible or to pray everyday is often a difficult thing for many Christians. My so called busy life should not be a hindrance for spending time in prayer. Like Jesus did, I may need to constrain (or refrain) something  in my life to find time to pray. I may need to "make"   something that would help me to spend my time in prayer with God. Like I seek God and pray during my times of need,  I do not come to God in my normal days. My heavenly father knows my every need. So my focus and purpose of prayer is not for my needs, but to spend time alone with God. "I will do" everything that help me to find some time to pray every day. As someone rightly said, "taking time to be with God is the best place to find strength."

PRAYER: Father God, You are the living God. You love me and want to speak with me every day of my life. You are the source of my strength. Help me to keep anything away from my life that hinders me to pray. Amen.

- Arputharaj Samuel
+91 9538328573
28 January 2021