Skip to main content

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. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overwhelming Conflict

Psalms 91:2 “I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.””  This past Sunday, team Uganda had the privilege to lead the two church services. From worship to the sermon, the Lord was present. Having never sung in front of really anyone to being on the worship team and having not one, but two solos, was rather frightening. In addition to having a spirit of fear, the morning of, I was faced with a myriad of conflict as a glob of toothpaste dropped slyly onto the shirt I was planning on wearing, I did not have a necklace to match the shirt I then had to put on, and I ran out of time for curling my hair and ironing my skirt. I knew the enemy was seeking to do whatever he could to focus my eyes on myself rather than on what the Lord was attempting to do in and through me for that day, but I was already defeated and left wondering how a day that had begun so terribly could have a positive outcome. I needed a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spir...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Transformation

Mark 7:17 “There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the thins which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.” As I was reading my devotional this morning, it touched on something that I had said early on in my time here in Uganda: “You can’t run from sin because you can’t run from you.” Sin truly does live in my heart and it is only when I run to Jesus, who is the only One who can deliver me from myself, that my heart can be radically transformed. I can and have attempted in my own strength to change my heart, but this has only led to condemnation and failure. The Lord never asked me to fix myself, He has asked me to do nothing other than cry out to Him at street level so that He can fix me in my most broken state. That is how He wants me: battered, bruised, and broken because this is when I am honest; this is when I want nothing more than for the Father to fix what I have ruined, again. But, when I attempt to change what only the L...
Post a Comment
Read more

Selfless Love

Romans 15:1 “We who are strong ought to bear with the fallings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” Hebrews 6:10 reminds us, “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” Our God is faithful to His promises, rewarding those who are humble, who become weak to win the weak, who bear the burden, and who love selflessly. However, we as humans are deceiving as we do almost everything to benefit ourselves in one way or another. Especially when it comes to others, helping someone can sometimes quickly become a personal gain that we use to make ourselves seem superior to the one whom we are helping. However, we are called to love others the way in which Christ has loved us, selflessly. To love selflessly is to humble ourselves and love without gain, bearing the burden of another simply to encourage them in their battle and allow them to recognize that they are not alone. Life is difficult as ...
Post a Comment
Read more