YouTube is a parade of infomercials—ads for diet secrets, health secrets, stress-reducing secrets, and more. The one I hate most is a muscular young man in a selfie video: “If you’re a guy between 25 and 55, listen up,” and he begins explaining why cardio won’t work, but don’t worry, he has the secret to reduced belly fat, greater muscle tone, better concentration, better this, better that—he has the cure for EVERYTHING, if you’ll just watch his video, and send him money, and the snake oil salesmen go on.
Jesus knew the real secret, and rather than shout it in hour-long speeches, he MODELED it:
“And a large crowd followed Jesus from Galilee, Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and around Tyre and Sidon” Mark 3:7-8. “The whole crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming out from Him and healing them all” Luke 6:19. “And the news about Him spread, and large crowds would come together to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. YET HE OFTEN WITHDREW TO DESERTED PLACES AND PRAYED” Luke 5:15-16. “During those days He went out to the mountain to pray and SPENT ALL NIGHT IN PRAYER TO GOD” Luke 6:12.
During the busiest years of His life—when thousands were following Jesus and jostling to get close enough to touch Him—He found ways to spend serious time in prayer. Hours. Even all night long! How does a tired man give up a full night’s sleep to pray? As badly as He needed sleep, Jesus knew He needed time with His Father even more!
And THAT is the secret to life—and health, and wisdom, and relationships, and success. We need more prayer, starting with me:
We need to spend SIGNIFICANT time in prayer. Even if it means losing sleep. (But usually it just means turning off the TV and music.)
No one had a tougher, more challenging calling than Jesus. If He could carve out time for prayer, we should do the same.
Pray with me: “Lord, teach us to pray” Luke 11:1.
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