Reflection from my reading in Matthew 14:22-36 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

The Priority of Prayer

Jesus originally crossed the lake to get time alone with God, but then was mobbed by people. He ministered to them all day and even miraculously fed them, but once it was night he sent them away and finally got to go pray!

“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

Jesus Made Time For Prayer

After an exhausting day, Jesus was going to spend his night time hours in prayer. It probably would have been more convenient for him to go with the disciples in the boat but he made a sacrifice to get time with God. When was the last time you made a sacrifice like this to spend time with God? 

3 Common Excuses For Not Praying

1. “I’m Too tired”

 Jesus was fully human and must have been tired from a full days work ministering to the masses, but he still prayed.

2. “I’m Too busy”

Jesus had crowds of needy people clamoring for his attention and he still made time to be alone with God.  The truth is that we have so much to do that we need God’s help! We are too busy NOT to pray!

3. “It’s Not Convenient”

Spending the night up on a cold hill after working hard all day does not sound convenient. Walking on water to where his disciples were sailing to does not sound convenient. Jesus’ relationship with the Father was so great that he was willing to sacrifice convenience to spend time alone with him.

A Time and A Place

Jesus intentionally would go up to the hills or into the wilderness  in order to pray. I wonder if those of us who live in cities and never get out alone amidst God’s creation miss something. If Jesus made it a point to get alone physically then we would be wise to follow his example in finding some time and an inspiring place for prayer!

I am inspired by Jesus’ commitment to prayer and hope that I can make it more of a priority in my life.

If you liked this article please share it on Facebook or Twitter with the #1yearwithjesus