City Life Starter

1. The Word: Matthew 14:23

“And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray…”

It was often repeated in the scriptures that Jesus would get alone, away from the crowds, to pray. As Jesus was going about healing and bringing the gospel of the kingdom to the people, you can only imagine how hard it was for him to get alone. Most of us metaphorically feel the weight of the world on our shoulders on a daily basis, but Jesus literally had the weight of the world on His shoulders. 

In Colossians 1:15-17 it says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things were created through him and for him.17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Maybe like me you find yourself busy or distracted. Things pulling at you constantly for your attention, entertainment or help. As a parent I feel this constantly. It’s hard to have time to do things. In fact you will never have the time to do much worth while. You must make the time to do so. 

Jesus shows us repeatedly in scripture that if you want to do much you have to be serious about praying much. We often think, “I have so much to do, I have no time to pray.” Jesus, as always, flips everything on its head and shows us the upside down kingdom way. 

Martin Luther was quoted saying, “I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.”

Being a follower of Christ means I should be very literally following Christ. When He takes the time out of His incredibly busy schedule to get alone with God, maybe I should too. He did change the course of human history in only about 3 years of ministry. 

At City Life Church we are about to enter our annual fast (January 9th-13th). Our hope is that every year we can begin the year with such an intense commitment to prayer that we become addicted to His presence. We can taste and see that He is good and other things just don’t give us the same taste. 

No matter if you are a disciplined faithful man or woman of prayer or if you struggle to do so, now is the time to just start. God longs to be with you like a loving father with his child. No matter your level of desire, He desires you and for you to truly know and come to Him. He is life. Let’s pursue!

*Look out for a prayer guide for fasting coming soon to our website and app.