In the morning…

And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed ( Mark 1:35).

In the evening…

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone (Matthew 14: 23).

How busy are you? Right now, I am thinking about the day ahead and the tasks that need to be accomplished. I have a schedule and a plan and… sound familiar? Is there room for interruption?

Think about the life of Christ. Who had more to accomplish? Who had more important things to do every day? Yet, as we read about His life, we learn that He recognized the importance of constant communion with God the Father and prayer was central to everything in His life.

He prayed in the morning. He prayed in the evening. Prayer was completely integrated in the life of Christ.

In our busy lives, prayer is often sacrificed and then we wonder why our lives accomplish less, right? We have only so much time each day and prayer takes time, but do we really think our way is better than that of Christ?

Can time with God really be an interruption? Wouldn’t we really be more complete if we cooperate with God’s will? I’ve often kept a short list of prayer needs, but now I have a list I’ve created in a note on my phone. I pray through each of those calling out the names and needs of family and friends.

Would you be willing to make prayer a priority – not because you must, but because you desire a deeper, stronger and more effective life in Christ?