But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. Luke 5:16
But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6
Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10
Jesus certainly knew the value of spending time alone with His Heavenly Father in prayer. It was the key to staying focused on His mission of redemption and constantly living to please the Father. "Be still and know that I am God." The verse speaks of knowing God and refers to knowing God in one's actual experience, not just truth about Him. He is always there and ready for us to come into His presence. The key to knowing Him in this way is the concept of "being still." This is one of the greatest battle grounds. This is the turf on which the enemy of our souls wages war. Making time for being alone with God in a prayer-closet kind of way, drawing near and staying near in those kinds of times, letting go of our own agendas, veiling ourselves to the ongoing distractions that persistently come to us from the detail of our life situation, etc., are all a part of "being still."
Communing with God in prayer in as full a way as possible takes time, practice, and spiritual effort. It doesn't just happen, rather it does just not happen. It is not an obligation to fulfill, but rather the very lifeline of true spiritual existence. We are fundamentally in a serious predicament if we are not significantly involved in a developing pursuit of communing with God in prayer. As we said yesterday, it is indeed through daily quiet times with God that we connect with God himself, his ways, and how he is moving in our lives. When this is how we connect with God, we will know the specifics of his will for us in the outworking of the mission of redemption to which he has called us. The more we learn to be still before God in prayer, the more we will exist for him and the mission of reaching the world (I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!).
Lord, once again I ask you to expand this prayerful moment into a very special quiet time with you. I want to learn to be still before you. May I experience the joy of your presence and the touch of your hand. May I be established in your ways. May I be in tune with your voice of guidance and direction as I seek to live for you and the advancement of your kingdom. I love you and worship you, Lord. Amen!
