“God has given me faith to call you to pray an hour a day!” There, I said it. “God has given me faith to call you into prayer an hour a day!” One more time “God has given me faith to call you to pray an hour a day!”
No more limping through life because we are disconnected from the vine. It’s time to pray again. Elijah prayed and the heavens were shut, and it did not rain for three years—he prayed again—and it rained!
Jesus, the “Only Begotten Son of God”, prayed every day. Many days, He prayed for a lot more than an hour. Jesus, the Son of God, in person, sinless, and perfect, chose to pray every day. He had to calibrate Himself to His Father and His words. Jesus began his ministry in prayer, at John’s baptism. While praying, the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended, and the Father spoke, “You are My Beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
The Holy Spirit then led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted forty days by the devil. Jesus prayed and fasted and Jesus overcame by the abiding Word of God. From there, Jesus went to Nazareth and to His synagogue and read Isaiah 61 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me…” He declares “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus spent all night in prayer. He then chose His twelve disciples. After choosing them, He preached the “Sermon on the Mount.” Jesus often withdrew into the wilderness to pray, and after one of these times, He fed five thousand people. But immediately after that, Jesus sent the disciples in a boat across the sea and prayed again into the wee hours of the night.
Around 3 am, He found His disciples fighting the wind and sea as He walked by on the water. The disciples called, He came, and immediately they were on the shore. That’s some kind of power!
The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, but never really got it while He was alive. On His last night on earth, at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus asked Peter, James and John to “Watch in prayer with Him”, as He went a short distance to pray. But they could not, and they fell asleep. “What? Could you not watch with Me one hour?” Jesus said, as He woke Peter. Another hour went by and Jesus came and found them sleeping again. This time, He just left them, and went and prayed again. Matthew 26:36-46
After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples prayed. They prayed for ten days, until the Holy Spirit came and prayed together every day after that. When things got too big, and things were being neglected, the apostles refused to leave prayer and the ministry of the word. They had found the secret.
Today, I call you to pray one hour a day! Today, grace is given to us to pray one hour a day. Not a legalistic effort but a sincere discipline to apprehend what we have been apprehended for. Jesus is waiting, ready to abide with you in prayer, His words abiding in you.
