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Solitary Prayer

Mark 1:35
“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
The importance of solitary prayer remains a critical aspect of the Christian life. Especially when it comes to morning prayer, there is no better way to begin our day than by being in quiet conversation with the Lord. Besides, what a privilege that we, who have absolutely nothing to offer, have the ability to converse with our Creator and even more, that He genuinely longs to hear from us. However, prayer is only as powerful as we believe it to be and praying empty prayers does not please the Lord. He wants our honesty and all of our brokenness. He most definitely wants us at our best, even when His blessings are overflowing and we feel as though we do not need to be as intimate. We need the Lord sometimes even more during these times as these are the times that the Lord is able to use to prepare us for our upcoming battles. I want to be strong during the smooth times and even stronger during the rough times because I can rely on the truth that His promise to carry me through will never fail. Where does this reliance stem from? Quality time with the Lord. Devotions, reading His word, and prayer. However, it takes discipline to continue in relationship with the Lord, as it can sometimes be very easy to push Him aside. Whether it be a career, a hobby, or a relationship, there are many aspects of this life that we can use to excuse that we missed reading our Bible for what would now be the third day in a row. This scenario happens far too often in my own life. “I just do not have enough time,” I state as I swap between Netflix and checking updates on Facebook. If Peter can wake up far before the sunrise to spend quality time with his Heavenly Father, then I most definitely have time during my busy day to spend time with Him, too.

Application

This week, I will write down all of my prayers, and look back on them in a month and recall how the Lord has answered them. 

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