Watch and Pray

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Watch and Pray

 

Quiet Time-Watch and Pray

“Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).

Do you have difficulty carving out a quiet time with the Lord every day? Am I the only one? If you spend time with Jesus daily, is it at the same time of the day? Is it in the same place all the time? How do you spend your quiet time?

Gaining strength for ministry

Jesus slipped away in His off hours to spend time with His Father. For Jesus this was after dark and before daybreak. During these times of refreshing, He received direction for the upcoming day. While He soaked spiritually like a sponge, He absorbed strength for ministry.

After John the Baptist was beheaded, someone was kind enough to tell Jesus about it. Upon hearing of it, Jesus sought out a desert place.

Sometimes crowded by other things

Although He wanted to spend time praying, that quiet time had to be postponed. The crowd who so enjoyed being near Him wouldn’t allow privacy. They had followed Jesus and His disciples to this desert place.

Never missing a beat, Jesus with compassion taught them, healed their sick, and even fed them dinner. Now Jesus escaped to the mountain for some time alone with His Father (Matthew 14:1-33; Mark 6:14-46; Luke 9:7-17; John 6:1-15).

Guidance in the hardest moments of life

Close to the end of His life on earth, Jesus agonized in His Father’s presence. Humanly He wanted to bypass the excruciating ordeal ahead of Him. Because of this prayer time Jesus did not snap under the weight of His tremendous burden. He yielded to His Father’s will for His life (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46).

It is in the worst of times we benefit the most from having spent time with Jesus alone on a daily or frequent basis.

To ready ourselves for the worst possible scenario we might face, we need to draw close to God habitually. In my case, as I work on strengthening my walk with Jesus, I need/want several items.  

Preparation for quiet time

I need a quiet place, my Bible, some free time and a receptive heart. My intention is to have a schedule for Bible reading, a hymnbook, a notebook, and a pencil and eraser. I am always improving my habit by use and practice.

I don’t have my quiet time in the same place every day. Nor do I have it at the same time. Nor do I spend a formal quiet time with Jesus every single day. I have learned not to get stressed by my lack of perfection on this issue.

That said, I do spend time with Jesus all day long wherever I go, whatever I am busy doing. I strive to have a receptive heart of longing to hear the voice of Jesus in my innermost thoughts at all times. 

Prayer alone leaves me hungry

What I have discovered is my prayers “on the wing” during the day are insufficient to meet my daily spiritual needs. I need something requiring more discipline. Prayers alone leave me hungry. 

As I read my Bible, doing so becomes God’s Word for my day. Having a plan for Bible reading keeps me interested in continuing the program for the whole year. After my Bible consumption in my quiet time session, writing something down in my notebook enhances my spiritual digestion.

As we draw near to Jesus today, may we read our Bible, sing praise to God, find direction for our day, and draw on His strength to be true to Him. It is so much easier to prepare ahead of time. Jesus gave a word to the wise in heart. “Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).

https://youtu.be/_UpMedIINdg

Shirley Logsdon

 

Reading additional post by Freda Reynolds

https://www.treadingwatertiljesuscomes.com/2015/10/16/surprised-by-joy/

https://www.treadingwatertiljesuscomes.com/2015/10/16/surprised-by-joy/

 

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About Shirley Logsdon

I am the only child of Christian parents who wanted me to know God personally as they did. One night during church we watched a movie depicting a family in their home accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. I was nine and realized then my desire to make Jesus my personal Savior. With the full support of my parents, I met with the pastor and prayed to receive Christ. A few years later, several of us around the same age began classes for our confirmation to become church members. The privilege of taking communion was a special time for me. . During my teenage years I was outwardly complacent, but was inwardly rebellious. I developed the nasty habit of disrupting harmony in the household by nitpicking at anything and everything. A preacher came to hold revival services at my dad’s church and nailed me silently with looks. This helped me tremendously. I turned a corner and began to respect and obey my parents in attitude and actions. I survived these years through prayer (mine, my parents and friends). The love and tenacity of my parents and God’s grace got me through these years of upheaval. I readily identify with David the Psalmist when he said in Psalm 25:7, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.” Because my parents provided a stable home life for me, when I went to college my Christian values remained intact. After completing my education in 1979, I started working. For a while, I worked at temp agencies, then I did odd jobs. I settled down in a secretarial position in 1986 working for a firm specializing in retirement plan administration. In 2007, I started working for a law firm, eventually becoming a knowledge management assistant in their law library, helping to alert attorneys to new business opportunities. I am a productive citizen of my country in large part because my parents prayed for me and made clear by word and example what they expected of me. I am extremely grateful to God for them. John 15:5 is my life verse: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” I am confronted with this realization every day I live, and it helps keep me on the straight and narrow path. I met my future husband at church. After a few years of our two families getting acquainted, he and I started courting. We married at the church where we met, in the presence of many relatives and friends. We have been married for 29 years. My hobbies are reading, cooking, and canning or freezing what my beloved husband grows in the garden. Also, I thoroughly enjoy writing. While my writing has included poems, most of my writing has been letters to family and friends. I like to share my faith when I write and am fond of adding a Bible verse or two to help focus on the source of our life. Since I am now retired after working 38 years, I can concentrate on keeping up with birthdays. Something else I enjoy is studying the Bible, often with others. Blogging is a new form of writing for me. I am getting my feet wet and I’m beginning to enjoy the experience.

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