It’s easy for me to get so caught up in the demands of my daily schedule that I lose time to practice my daily spiritual disciplines. That’s especially true when it comes to my prayer life. I try to convince myself that this is okay to forgo my time of prayer since I’m connecting with God in other ways (i.e. acts of service, etc.) Today’s passage from Luke, however, is a reminder that I have no excuse for being too busy for prayer and centering, as the passage provides the example of Jesus who – on the verge of his arrest, trial, and crucifixion! – found time to pray on the Mount of Olives. That, for me, is lesson one: always find time to connect with God – especially at the most difficult times when you are tempted to forget this connection. There’s a second lesson regarding prayer in today’s passage as well. It has to do with the content of one’s prayer. In modeling a way to pray for us, Jesus said, “Please, not what I want. What do you want?” (Luke 22:42 from The Message) What a powerful way to help us re-conceptualize our prayer life – a way where our prayer life is built upon something other than just our wishes and desires. Today, I invite you to join me as we incorporate both lessons into our lives by first making the time to connect with God and then spend that time pursuing God’s desires and not simply our own. Til next time…
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Tuesday, November 6
Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 2 & 33; Zechariah 1:17-21; Luke 22:39-53; Romans 10:17-20
It’s easy for me to get so caught up in the demands of my daily schedule that I lose time to practice my daily spiritual disciplines. That’s especially true when it comes to my prayer life. I try to convince myself that this is okay to forgo my time of prayer since I’m connecting with God in other ways (i.e. acts of service, etc.) Today’s passage from Luke, however, is a reminder that I have no excuse for being too busy for prayer and centering, as the passage provides the example of Jesus who – on the verge of his arrest, trial, and crucifixion! – found time to pray on the Mount of Olives. That, for me, is lesson one: always find time to connect with God – especially at the most difficult times when you are tempted to forget this connection. There’s a second lesson regarding prayer in today’s passage as well. It has to do with the content of one’s prayer. In modeling a way to pray for us, Jesus said, “Please, not what I want. What do you want?” (Luke 22:42 from The Message) What a powerful way to help us re-conceptualize our prayer life – a way where our prayer life is built upon something other than just our wishes and desires. Today, I invite you to join me as we incorporate both lessons into our lives by first making the time to connect with God and then spend that time pursuing God’s desires and not simply our own. Til next time…
It’s easy for me to get so caught up in the demands of my daily schedule that I lose time to practice my daily spiritual disciplines. That’s especially true when it comes to my prayer life. I try to convince myself that this is okay to forgo my time of prayer since I’m connecting with God in other ways (i.e. acts of service, etc.) Today’s passage from Luke, however, is a reminder that I have no excuse for being too busy for prayer and centering, as the passage provides the example of Jesus who – on the verge of his arrest, trial, and crucifixion! – found time to pray on the Mount of Olives. That, for me, is lesson one: always find time to connect with God – especially at the most difficult times when you are tempted to forget this connection. There’s a second lesson regarding prayer in today’s passage as well. It has to do with the content of one’s prayer. In modeling a way to pray for us, Jesus said, “Please, not what I want. What do you want?” (Luke 22:42 from The Message) What a powerful way to help us re-conceptualize our prayer life – a way where our prayer life is built upon something other than just our wishes and desires. Today, I invite you to join me as we incorporate both lessons into our lives by first making the time to connect with God and then spend that time pursuing God’s desires and not simply our own. Til next time…
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