Though We May Fail to Pray & Spend Time with God (4.27.15)

When He rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, He found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. ‘Why are you sleeping?’ He asked them. ‘Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.’ - Luke 22:45-46

Faith Believers,
Do you often say to GOD, “This week will be different; I’ll spend more time reading the Bible, more time in prayer, more time in thankful meditation.  I promise!!”

But despite our intentions, after a few days we revert back to our old ways. We let things like sleep, television, and the Internet creep into the time we had intentionally put aside for GOD. This pattern repeats itself endlessly.  Many of us have struggled with praying and reading the Bible, ever since we first decided to follow Jesus. Even though we know better, and even though we know that praying and spending time with GOD is necessary for our spiritual growth - we still neglect them. We fail constantly.

As we read about Jesus’ disciples who fell asleep when they were supposed to be praying, we should find a small bit of comfort. At least we are not alone in our failings. When Jesus found the disciples in their unconscious state, I can just imagine the disappointment in His voice and how He felt. Here He was in anguish, moments before His arrest, His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground - Luke 22:44. And His disciples were sleeping. They failed to follow Jesus words. They failed to pray.

But the story doesn’t end there. Though Jesus expected more from His disciples in that moment, He still chose to use them to spread His message of hope to the world. And though we may disappoint Jesus time and time again, He has limitless compassion and grace for us. And He will still choose to use us as His representatives on earth.

What an amazing GOD we serve!!

__________

Dear Jesus,

Forgive me when I neglect to spend time with You. 
I pray that You would give me the discipline
and the desire, to grow in my relationship with You.

Thank You, that despite the times when I fail,
You still choose me to be an agent of Your kingdom, 
a messenger of light to this world.

Amen.