DAY 3

Day Three:  JESUS VALUED PRAYER

Luke 5:16 (NIV)

Luke 5:16 “But Jesus often withdraw to lonely places and prayed.” 

What an important verse this is!  Right before this, the Bible says, “Yet the news about Him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses” (Luke 5:15 NIV).  And then in Luke 5:16 it says, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”

Clearly, this was the most important thing to Jesus.  For Jesus to isolate Himself and spend time with His Father was more important than preaching to great crowds or even healing people of their diseases.  He would love to withdraw to a desolate place, a place where there was no one else, just to spend intimate time with His Father.  You see, everything He was doing, preaching and healing, was flowing from His personal time with His Father when He was secluded.

This is the most critical thing you can do in your life.  It is important every day to take time to withdraw to a place where you are alone with your Heavenly Father, to just pray and spend time with Him.  At some point during your day, it is important to have this concentrated time alone with God, with no phone or other distractions.  This is a private time for just you and God, His word and your prayer, and a quiet time to listen to Him.

For some of you this is a challenge.  Our world is busy and filled with distractions but we must fight to find that time to withdraw and pray.  The Lord is pleased and honored by your time, as He desires to share this time with us.  Allow this time to be filled by the living spring water from His Holy Spirit which will fill and flow through every area of your life.

Teaching people to swim begins with a simple lesson.  First, you must put your face in the water.  That first little step helps a person  get comfortable in the water and is critical for all swimming skills.  

In the same way, following God begins with a small act of obedience as you spend time in prayer.  It may seem insignificant or unrelated to the tasks before you, but prayer is where God wants you to start as you grow in your relationship with Him.

Heavenly Father, we desire to experience the fullness of Your presence and Your power. We want to be filled with Your love, joy, peace, Your comfort, and Your strength in our lives.  We pray for concentrated, close, isolated, communion time with You, a time to enjoy Your presence, and to quietly listen to Your voice.

Prayer Points:

Personal:  To experience the fullness of God’s presence in our time w/ Him

Community: Our love for others to overcome our fear of sharing the gospel.