Rise and pray

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Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."Luke 22:46 - KJV

I have been teaching a class at the bible school at our church on the Birth of Christianity. It covers the last week of Christ life. Years ago when I was studying this time in Jesus life one thing stood out to me. His request for his "buds" to pray for Him and His finding them sleeping instead of praying!

He then told them to basically pray for themselves and not him! What would they have avoided if they had only prayed!

Bob Dylan sang in the 1960s, "The times they are a changing". The times certainly were changing and look at the way they have continued to change. Today we are still in times of change and many of those changes are not good.

The earth is groaning from famines and pestilences, from earthquakes, from wars and rumours of wars, from evil men and from economic uncertainty. All around us we hear news and calls of change. But if we will listen with the ears of the spirit, we hear the summons to prayer.

This time is a time for prayer.

Make time and make space in your life for prayer!

Pray in the Spirit.
Pray with your understanding.
Pray for all men.
Pray for those in authority.

By prayer with heartfelt intercession and thanksgiving even it times of great change you'll still be living in quietness and peace. What's more by prayer the Church of Jesus Christ moves back the gates of hell. Jesus gives keys to the Church so that in prayer we can have powerful influence on what's going on around us. Mat.16:18-19, 1Tim.2:1-4, Ro.8:26-27, 1Cor.14:15.

In Psalms who does it tell us will not be afraid of the terror by night?

He tells us it's the one who lives under the shadow of God Almighty.
That person is hidden from terror in the secret place of God.

What brings that person into that secret place?
It's his prayer life.

His prayer life is consistent and it is characterised by worship and devotion. Commit yourself to such prayer and you will dwell in that secret place of God.

God will hide you from evil in His pavilion. Indeed, He will set you high on a rock out of harms way. Psa.91:1-6, 27:4-5.

Seek the Lord in prayer