Mark 14:35 is a passage of Scripture regarding the call to pray that strikes a chord in my heart. It recounts the event where Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane with his disciples to pray. We find that at a certain point, Jesus instructs the majority of the disciples to stay back while asking Peter, James, and John to come with Him deeper into the garden to pray. Then the Bible says that Jesus “went a little further to pray.”
There is something to be said about the example of Jesus illustrated in those five words: “a little further to pray”. When God desires to take us further in our purpose, He calls us to go further in our prayer life. And also in our purpose, we must be willing to go a little further in our prayers. Sometimes prayer requires an extra effort or a greater intention; sometimes it needs to be elevated in our priorities.
A friend once told me that if you don’t have a time and place to pray, it won’t happen, and I think he was right. Having a set time and place or an appointment on the calendar helps in making our prayer life more consistent. Sometimes when God wants to take us “a little further,” He calls us to change not the length of our prayer time but the consistency of it.
Our prayer life is not the litmus test for our spiritual discipline but rather the indicator of the health of our relationship with God. Relationships are built and sustained by constant communication. Of course, God already knows the details of our lives, but there is an expressed dependence upon God when we invite Him into those details. The man or woman who does not pray is essentially telling God, “I've got this,” revealing alarming pride and self-sufficiency.
Not just praying for ourselves but for others as well, let's take Esther for example and Mordecai who gathered the Jews to pray for the safety of their lives, they went a little farther to make it happen. Ordinarily, Esther wouldn't have been hurt but she went a little farther in prayers for her people. By going a little farther her, it is similar to intercession which is a form of mediation between parties with a view to reconciling those who differ or contend. It happens in everyday court systems when lawyers intervene on behalf of their clients. In the same way, through out history, God has always looked for men and women who will go a little farther to pray and intercede on behalf of a lost world. Sadly, more often than not, He gets disappointed (Ezekiel 22:30)
In 1st Timothy 2:1, Paul wrote a
letter to Timothy urging him to pray and go further in prayer by interceding for all
men - "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men". This shows the depth of the importance of praying, or going just a little
farther. Even Christ our perfect example is at the right hand of God interceding for us, going a little farther for us. God desires to take us beyond what we can do in our strength to fulfill His purpose in our lives. But truthfully, we can only journey in our calling insofar as we’ve paved the distance in prayer. God equips us for our destiny in the moments we share with Him in prayer.
Most times in life, when we have gotten to our peak or reached that highest point and it's seems nothing else can be done, what God demands is for us to "go a little farther" Jesus said "....but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49). The aspect of praying for yourself, for others cannot be overemphasized, in all you do, your business, academics, marital life, spiritual life, your daily life, whatsoever, you have to go a " little farther".
Praying a little further helps to go further in all ramifications of life.
ReplyDeleteYes, it helps us have unlimited access to the throne of grace.
DeleteI'm blessed.
ReplyDeletePost a Comment
Please drop a comment and use the Social Media Buttons below to share to friends and family.