And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. Matthew 14:23
Days at work can often be very long and tiring. After work people desire to be able to go home, kick back and relax. Often there are other things that call their attention, pulling them away from relaxing. Yet, many will ignore those other things and just relax, not doing what is priority in their lives.
Matthew records that Jesus had just finished a full day of speaking, healing and feeding many people. After sending the people away, Jesus goes up, alone, on a mountain to pray.
Kicking back and relaxing is the first thing on most people’s minds after a long day at work. The idea of having to do more work is often very far from their mind, even when they know it should be done. Acting in this way is focusing on self rather than looking at the bigger picture of everyone as a whole. It becomes about pleasing self and not doing what needs to be done.
Prayer is often looked at as a necessary evil. It takes effort and focus to accomplish. For many it feels as if it is boring and a waste of time.
For Jesus, prayer was a major priority, no matter how tired He felt. It was His time to get with the Father, regain strength and learn what was to occur next in His mission.
This should be no different for believers. At the end of a long day, every believer needs to stop and take time to pray. Their prayers should be focused on spending much needed time with the Father. In this time, one can be renewed and strengthened by the Holy Spirit and be led as to what is next in building God’s kingdom.
You will have days in which you will get home tired and worn out from working all day. Temptation will be to just sit back, shut down and relax. Instead of shutting down, your priority should be focused on spending time with God. Find renewed joy and strength in the Lord as you sit at His feet and talk with Him in prayer. Learn what He has for you each day. Take time to worship Him, rather than put Him on the back burner and see how He can renew you.
Today I pray that you will know Jesus as your Lord and Savior; that you will seek to spend time in prayer with God each day; that you will find renewed strength in praying to God; that you will make prayer a priority in your life; and that you will see God do great things in and through you.
Photo by Chris Thompson on Unsplash
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