Our Lord Jesus, long ago, as He walked on this earth, practiced the discipline of prayer on a regular basis. He viewed prayer to be a very important aspect of His life each day. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, we find it stressed that our Lord spent a great deal of time in prayer. He always prayed about everything that happened, as well as for those things which were about to take place. He spent time praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night of His betrayal and arrest (Lk. 22:39-46). He even prayed as He hung on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Lk. 23:34).
Yes, Jesus saw prayer as one of the most important aspects of the Christian life. As a result, His own life demonstrated this for us as He began each day with prayer. “And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there” (Mk. 1:35). As a result, His disciples wanted prayer to become a major part of their lives. So they asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Lk. 11:1-13).
Jesus and His disciples saw prayer as the key to life. Only through prayer can we commune with God and be empowered to live the Christian life according to the Scriptures. Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7). Because of this, we should want prayer to be an important aspect of our lives as well. Do not neglect the importance of prayer. Pray every day, letting “your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).
Prayer changes things. Prayer works miracles. Prayer makes the difference in life between success and failure. In everything we do, if we want it to be a success, we should begin by praying about it. That is what Jesus did. That is what His disciples learned to do. We must learn to do the same.
Do not let this summer be a time that is too busy for prayer. Make time each day to pray. It might help to remember the little acronym: ACTS. "A" is for adoration. Give God praise and glory. "C" is for confession. Confess to God any sin or whatever needs to be forgiven. "T" is for thanksgiving. Express to God your thankfulness for His forgiveness and cleansing, as well as everything else for which you are thankful. "S" is for supplication. Be specific and make your requests known to God. But whatever you do, pray!
Always remember the words of James 5:16b, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." Amen.
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