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It’s Time to Pray

Mart De Haan Posted by Mart DeHaan
April 20th, 2019
11 Comments » 

In the Garden of the Olive Press Jesus urges his disciples to pray. If that’s all we were told we might imagine him saying, “Pray for me, for I have come to the moment for which I came into the world.”

Instead, Jesus reminds them to pray for themselves, as he has been praying for them (Luke 22:32).

Twice his words recall the “lead us not into temptation” of his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:13).

The second time he talks to Peter as he had earlier that same evening (Luke 22:31-34). This time, maybe with the gentleness of a parent speaking to a sleeping child, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” (Matthew 26:40-41)


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Filed in His Love, prayer

11 Responses to “It’s Time to Pray”

  1. Beloved says:
    April 20, 2019 at 7:34 am

    True how weak the body. I get how easily we can be tempted by satan. Yet God give permission to do so!!!! I know sometimes I have a day I wake up and think I’m prayed up so am just going to let it slide. In a few hours I recognize the devils influencing me to sin and quickly turn back, turn back to prayer/fellowship with God! Oh Jesus, thank you for saving me from sin, death, and my stupid self.

  2. SFDBWV says:
    April 20, 2019 at 8:00 am

    Have you ever felt what’s the use, I pray and pray and still am left to deal with whatever? Yet day after day time after time still return to pray and be disappointed again and again?

    James 4:3 say’s we don’t have because we pray “amiss” and in Philippians 4:6 we are told to make our requests be known to God. Amazingly Jesus tells us in John 14:13-14 we can have whatever we ask for.

    It doesn’t help to hear people say that God isn’t like a magic Genie or Santa Clause as they themselves can’t actually answer why some justified prayers go unanswered as they try and answer for God themselves.

    In truth such answers are irritating and stir up anger.

    When sometimes the best answer to such a question is “I don’t know”, but I will continue to pray and trust that God is in control and knows best.

    Steadfastly dealing with whatever and continuing on in a blind trust that even though what is right in front of us there remains hope that tomorrow will come and our answer with it.

    Because our hope is in God the Father through God the Son, who has instructed us to “pray”.

    Steve

  3. Beloved says:
    April 20, 2019 at 9:17 am

    This time, maybe with the gentleness of a parent speaking to a sleeping child,

    How often when Jesus speaks in scripture do I imagine Him speaking out of anger, disgust fear or ? Too Often I’m afraid. And more often I have used scripture in that way to show my own anger disgust fear or whatever annoyance. We do read out of our fallen human emotions. Yet Jesus was perfect, not like us. Interesting, thanks Mart. Blessed Easter to you.

  4. poohpity says:
    April 20, 2019 at 9:18 am

    Jesus prayed in the Garden, “Not my will but your will be done” can we honestly pray as Jesus did and trust whatever the answer is that we will be fine with it even if it is “no” as it was with the cup of wrath being taken from Jesus or Paul regarding a healing. Is God’s grace sufficient and all that is needed?

    Are we tempted by the evil one to doubt God and be discouraged when things do not go as we think they should as the disciples were when they scattered or as far back as Adam and Eve to not eat of the Tree of Knowledge. If God is withholding something we think we should have can we trust that there may be a reason for it?

    So we also follow the leading of the evil one when it comes to focusing on the things we do not have rather than being grateful for what God has already given us and promises to give us? Adam and Eve had a whole garden of so many things but they wanted the one thing they thought God withheld from them. God had His reasons! So it all comes down to belief John 16:9 NLT

    Can we pray as David did, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Or as Jesus did Luke 22:42 NLT or as Paul did 2 Cor 12:8-9 NLT

  5. poohpity says:
    April 20, 2019 at 9:33 am

    I wonder how discouraged the disciples were on Saturday when they had thought that Jesus came to fight their battles against the rule and oppression of the Roman empire when He came to fight their battles against the rule and oppression of sin and the evil one instead?

  6. poohpity says:
    April 20, 2019 at 9:40 am

    Eph 6: Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.…And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.…

  7. SFDBWV says:
    April 20, 2019 at 12:07 pm

    I’ve known a lot of people and shared a lot of life with many. It would seem that everyone has a dark and trying time somewhere in their life.

    Here in the story of Jesus’ death the Disciples and followers of Jesus had believed and placed their hopes on Him, only to watch Him die on the cross at the hands of Roman soldiers.

    Yesterday afternoon and today these men and women wasn’t sure what to think or do as their minds raced with fear and doubt and yes for some hope.

    It is certainly human nature to believe we need to do something, not just set idle and fret. So what was left to these people but to “pray”.

    Pray for understanding, pray for direction, pray for comfort and perhaps to pray for action.

    Perhaps if they had understood the story of Jonah better or listened more closely to Jesus they may have understood, but the only thing at that time left for them to do was pray and wait.

    Maybe that is the same for all of us, maybe we haven’t understood better because we do all the talking and very little listening.

    For the curious among us, yes we did have thunder and lightning and heavy rain yesterday beginning at 4:26pm.

    Steve

  8. Beloved says:
    April 20, 2019 at 2:03 pm

    Steve have a blessed Easter with no regrets only thanks for what Jesus has done and seeing each new morning as EASTER! I saw a car with West Virginia plates earlier today, quite unusual here but thought of you and Matt and Glenna preparing for tomorrow, made me smile!
    Love, Joyce

  9. street says:
    April 20, 2019 at 2:23 pm

    Have you ever felt what’s the use, I pray and pray and still am left to deal with whatever? Yet day after day time after time still return to pray and be disappointed again and again?

    as i read this i can relate to it in many ways. it reminds me of people praying at the west wall of the temple that is not there. it feels like praying to a wall.

    i remember reading scripture because it was used in various ways and settings from school worship or curiosity.

    it was not till some one confronted me to what the Scripture are. he asked me what i thought they were? he also asked me if there were any errors in them? like peter i was confronted for the first time, Who do you say that I AM? i was changed at that moment. even so, i fell asleep and heard the knock on my door from time to time. 40 years of wandering. not wasted. 40 years of grace and mercy. even the disciples wandered 3 years with Jesus! faith, a gift from God, the gift of God, changed the way i see things. glimps here and there glimpses of hope. a hope and faith more precious than we will ever know in ourselves, because it is to be found in Him.

    prayer is the command God gives that brings us to the road that brings us to Him. Happy are those who are on the Kings Highway. even the blind and the lame will not stumble there. the vale is real, but removed in Christ Jesus.

    Give me your tired, your poor
    Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free
    The wretched refuse of your teeming shore
    Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me
    I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

    your yoke of rest awaits you.

    i think blood stained door.

  10. poohpity says:
    April 20, 2019 at 2:51 pm

    Maybe it is not a case of sitting by idly and fretting but of waiting on the Lord and trusting in Him to lead us to the next step that is actually doing something which is the most important thing to do.

    We have read about the many people who have thought it was their job to do something that lead to the sin and trouble that followed. Adam and Eve; Abraham, Sarah and Hagar; Jacob and Esau; Joseph and his brothers; David, Uriah and Bathsheba; The Israelites demanding a king rather than following God’s leading; etc..

  11. Beloved says:
    April 20, 2019 at 3:59 pm

    Street that is beautiful, thank you.

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