Jesus began His ministry with forty-day prayer and fasting in the wilderness and ended His ministry with prayer in an olive grove. In between, He spent countless times and hours praying, usually in the wee morning hour.  By doing that He gave us a model to emulate; He, the Son of God, prayed, so, we, too, ought to pray.  However, more than a model, Jesus showed that He, the Son of Man, needed to pray.  Through prayer He tapped the power of and the intimacy with His Heavenly Father.  Prayer was the bedrock of His ministry; no wonder He never taught His disciples to preach; He only taught them how to pray. It’s no wonder that one of the lessons He taught His disciples before His departure was to keep watch and to pray.

Perhaps we wonder why prayer is central to our Christian life.  I can think of a couple of reasons.  Firstly, prayer reminds us that we are not alone. God didn’t t just create us; He is also involved in our life.  He watches over us, He guides us, and He speaks to us.  Secondly, prayer gives us a direct access to God.  We cannot see Him, but He can see us; through prayer we can reach Him.  Prayer is the keys to unlock the doors of Heaven and be in the Awesome Presence of the Almighty God.  We, who do not pray, will remain outside of Heaven; we keep knocking while, in fact, we already have the keys.  Rightly Bishop Robert Barron points out that we pray not from the outside but inside the Triune God.  Prayers bring us in; we need not shout.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus did not tell His disciples to hide and to develop a strategy for evangelism before His arrest and crucifixion?  Facing the most sequential moment of their lives, Jesus told them to pray.  It sounds so simple yet so true.  Only prayers could stabilize their steps, so they would not run or falter.  Only prayer could give them power, peace, and clarity.  So, whatever the situation and the temptation, remember to pray.  It is our only refuge and strength.

Pastor Paul