And when he [Jesus] had sent the multitudes away,
he went up into a mountain apart to pray:
and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Matthew 14:23
and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
Matthew 14:23
Small children are often taught to say their evening prayers by learning a prayer such as "Now I lay me down to sleep." Although teaching children to pray is good, the "roteness" that is often learned can lead to the devaluation of this very precious and important time with the Lord.
Because evening is wind-down time, we may think our prayers lack the power and conviction that is available earlier in the day. However, prayer at anytime of the day can have a powerful effect on our world. For instance:
Queen Mary said she feared the prayers of John Knox more than she feared all the armies of Scotland.
John Wesley's prayers brought revival to England, sparing them the horrors of the French Revolution
Revival spread throughout the American colonies when Jonathan Edwards prayed.
Time after time, history has been shaped by prayer. The Rev. Billy Graham says, "I tell you, history could be altered and changed again if people went to their knees in believing prayer.... Today we have learned to harness the power of the atom, but very few of us have learned how to develop fully the power of prayer. We have not yet learned that a man can be more powerful on his knees than behind the most powerful weapons that can be developed."
Matthew 14:23 tells us Jesus sought to be alone with the Father after what must have been an extremely taxing day for preaching, teaching, and healing the multitudes. Perhaps our prayers are more powerful when weariness causes us to drop the pretenses of "religious" language in favor of direct communication with the God into Whose hands we've placed our lives.
Tonight, speak honestly and openly with the Lord about your concerns, and make your petitions known. Then cast the care of them onto Him and sleep in peace, knowing He is at work on your behalf.
Because evening is wind-down time, we may think our prayers lack the power and conviction that is available earlier in the day. However, prayer at anytime of the day can have a powerful effect on our world. For instance:
Queen Mary said she feared the prayers of John Knox more than she feared all the armies of Scotland.
John Wesley's prayers brought revival to England, sparing them the horrors of the French Revolution
Revival spread throughout the American colonies when Jonathan Edwards prayed.
Time after time, history has been shaped by prayer. The Rev. Billy Graham says, "I tell you, history could be altered and changed again if people went to their knees in believing prayer.... Today we have learned to harness the power of the atom, but very few of us have learned how to develop fully the power of prayer. We have not yet learned that a man can be more powerful on his knees than behind the most powerful weapons that can be developed."
Matthew 14:23 tells us Jesus sought to be alone with the Father after what must have been an extremely taxing day for preaching, teaching, and healing the multitudes. Perhaps our prayers are more powerful when weariness causes us to drop the pretenses of "religious" language in favor of direct communication with the God into Whose hands we've placed our lives.
Tonight, speak honestly and openly with the Lord about your concerns, and make your petitions known. Then cast the care of them onto Him and sleep in peace, knowing He is at work on your behalf.
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