Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all.

–Dwight L. Moody

I appreciate pastor of yesteryear Dwight Moody’s sentiments here. Sometimes we can become self-conscious about our prayers. We wonder whether we are asking too much of God or whether we are forming our prayers “the right way” or whether our concerns are worth bringing to God. But these questions often miss the more significant truth—God desires our fellowship.

Prayer is to the Christian life what oxygen is to the body. We can no more thrive spiritually without prayerful communion with God than we can survive physically without food or water or air. However, the reality is, prayer can be a difficult discipline to make a regular part of our daily lives. Certainly, some of the questions raised above can be stumbling blocks to time in God’s presence. But equally significant are busyness and laziness, both of which distract us from carving out the time to be with God. And that is really Moody’s point above—what troubles God is when we do not come at all.

So, how do we combat such stumbling blocks to time with God? I can think of no better answer to that question than following our Lord’s example. Time and again, in the New Testament, we see the picture of Christ, the Son, taking time out of His busy ministry to spend time with the Father. Few passages put it more simply than Luke 5:16, “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Let’s consider three simple lessons Jesus’ example teaches us.

LESSON #1—If Jesus needs prayer, so do we!

You might think that the divine Son of God could get along well on His own. And yet, Jesus feels the need to prioritize prayer. And you get the sense that at the heart of His prayer life is the desire for communion with His Father. When you love someone, it is natural to desire to be with them. And this is what is modeled for us by our Lord.

Of course, we are not children of God in the same way that Jesus was God’s Son. We do not share in the divinity of the Godhead. And yet, when Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, it is significant that He invited them to address God as “our Father.” God’s Word reveals that we have been adopted as children of God. “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). And just as an earthly father desires fellowship with his children, so to the heavenly Father desires fellowship with us.

LESSON #2—We need to withdraw often!

This may be the hardest word of all. In reality, life is busy. And what spare time we do have is often easily eaten up by TV, internet, and countless other diversions. It is not that these things are necessarily bad if done in moderation. However, what is unhealthy is allowing such things to cause us to shorten or postpone our time with our Father. If we would follow Christ’s example, withdrawing often, discipline is required. To prioritize time in God’s presence requires daily discipline, a decision of the will.

Disciplined, daily time in prayer can be difficult at times. When life is especially busy or hectic, we may not feel like praying. Eugene Peterson aptly remarks that feelings are often the “scourge of prayer.” He says that, “To pray by feelings is to be at the mercy of glands and weather and indigestion. And there is no mercy in any of them.” The truth is, the days we feel the least moved to prayer are usually the times we need it the most.

LESSON #3—We need time in lonely places

I don’t know about you, but I am sometimes hard pressed to find lonely places. Growing up in the country, on twenty acres, it was not hard for me to find a place where I could “holler” as loud as I wanted and no one would care. For most of us, these days, finding lonely places requires a little more intentionality. But whether it is the back yard, finding a quiet room or taking a walk, we need time to be alone with God.

Prayer is not always easy. However, there are few things more important in the life of the Christian and, as Moody says, few things more important to our God. May we take our cue from our Lord and make regular time set apart to be alone with God a daily priority in our lives.

In Him,

Pastor Dan