City Life Starter

I. The Word

“Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.” Mark 1:35

“But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” Luke 5:16

“After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.” Matthew 14:23

“Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.” Mark 6:45-46

Let me share some non-negotiable spiritual disciplines that we should practice daily as a follower of Jesus Christ: 1. Word of God, and 2. Prayer.  Though they are different spiritual disciplines, it shares one common theme, which is communing or communicating with God.  I believe it is essential to the spiritual health of believers and without it leads to spiritual drought.  

In the Scripture, prayer is seen with great connotation.  We find men and women of God making prayer and supplication to God, Moses, Hannah, David, Solomon, Nehemiah, and others.  The greatest example we find in the Scripture is in the New Testament by our Lord.  I sometimes wonder about what and how Jesus’ prayer was like when He went to be alone to pray.  Here are a few insights I found from Scripture:

1. Jesus was way busier than you and I combined, but found time to pray, usually at the end of a long day or early in the morning.    

2. Jesus went to a secluded places, was in solitary and the wilderness to pray.  He didn’t chose the place where everyone can see Him but places where no one would expect anyone to be.

3. Jesus was alone with the Father.  I believe this is the key to prayer, intimacy with God.  I believe it is during this intimate time with the Father that our Lord was able to do what He was called to do.  In John 5:19, He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.”

Prayer is essential in the life of a believer.  Charles Spurgeon graciously put it this way, “Prayerless Christian is a Christless Christian.”  How about making prayer one of your priorities in 2017?  Don’t know how to pray or where to start?  Join us next week, as we begin our annual City Life Church’s prayer and fasting where members from all over the city will unite to pray and fast for 2017.  Let us dedicate ourselves for His will to be done on the earth, our country, city, home and the church.  JY