Pray Always
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12)
I'm reminded of the story about the dedication ceremony for the Gettysburg National Cemetery in November of 1863. Politician and orator Edward Everett was invited to give the keynote address. President Abraham Lincoln was invited, almost as a courtesy, to say "a few appropriate remarks."
Everett delivered an eloquent, broad-ranging speech of almost two hours. His speech was full of beautiful language, and with logic explained the significance and the tragedy of the Battle of Gettysburg, considered by many the turning point of the civil war. He delivered the entire speech from memory.
When Everett finished, President Lincoln walked to the podium, put on his spectacles, and read from his notes: "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Two minutes later, the President returned to his seat. Two minutes. 272 words.
Few people remember Everett's speech, while Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" is considered by many one of the greatest speeches ever given.
Which speech was better? I think the question is moot. Both speeches were great. Both men expressed their heartfelt views and opinions and did so with grace and eloquence. The point is that both men used the words and time required to express their thoughts.
I believe it is the same with prayer. How many times do we read in the Bible that Jesus went off by himself to pray, sometimes for hours? Jesus had the closest possible relationship to God the Father. He carried the heaviest burden of any man who ever lived - paying the price for our sins, It is not surprising that he spent hours in prayer. That's what it took for him to do what he needed to do.
I've come to realize that, with prayer, it is not necessarily how long we pray or how eloquently we express ourselves, but more about the sincerity and depth of our words. Prayer is direct communication with God. We don't need to impress Him. He knows what we think, what we feel, what we need, and what we desire. Prayer is a time we express to God what is on our hearts and minds, then to listen, to hear, and to understand.
How long should we pray? We should pray often, and for as long as it takes.
Prayer
Father, thank you for the gift of prayer. We need time with you like we need air. We love you and covet your love for us. Thank you for the gift of salvation, which makes it all possible. Amen.
This devotion was written and read by Cliff McCartney
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.
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[music] Welcome to Grace For All, a daily devotional podcast produced by First United Methodist Church, Maryville, Tennessee. In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God, Luke 6 verse 12. I'm reminded of the story about the dedication ceremony for the Gettysburg National Cemetery in November of 1863. Politician and orator Edward Everett was invited to give the keynote address. President Abraham Lincoln was invited, almost as a courtesy, to say a few appropriate remarks. Everett delivered an eloquent, broad-ranging speech of almost two hours. His speech was full of beautiful language, and with logic he explained the significance and the tragedy of the Battle of Gettysburg, considered by many the turning point of the Civil War. He delivered the entire speech from memory. When Everett finished, President Lincoln walked to the podium, put on his spectacles, and read from his notes, "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Two minutes later, the President returned to his seat. Two minutes, 272 words." Few people remember Everett's speech, while Lincoln's Gettysburg address is considered by many to be one of the greatest speeches ever given. But speech was better, I think the question is moot. Both speeches were great. Both men expressed their heartfelt views and opinions and did so with grace and eloquence. The point is that both men used the words and time required to express their thoughts. I believe it's the same with prayer. How many times do we read in the Bible that Jesus went off by himself to pray, sometimes for hours? Jesus had the closest possible relationship to God the Father. He carried the heaviest burden of any man who ever lived, paying the price for our sins. It's not surprising that he spent hours in prayer. That's what it took for him to do what he needed to do. How come to realize that with prayer, it's not necessarily how long we pray or how eloquently we express ourselves, but more about the sincerity and depth of our words. Prayer is direct communication with God. We don't need to impress him. He knows what we think, what we feel, what we need, and what we desire. Prayer is a time we express to God what is on our hearts and minds, then to listen, to hear, and to understand. How long should we pray? We should pray often, and for as long as it takes. Father, thank you for the gift of prayer. We need time with you like we need air. We love you and covet your love for us. Thank you for the gift of salvation which makes it all possible. Amen. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] This devotion was written and read by Cliff McCourtney. You've been listening to the Grace for All podcast, a ministry of First United Methodist Church in the beautiful foothills of the great Smoky Mountains in Maryville, Tennessee. I'm Jonathan Jonas, the senior pastor, and I'm grateful that you've shared this time of devotion and prayer with us today. We hope you'll join us for the next episode, and we also welcome you to join us for worship this weekend, whether here in Maryville or by livestream, wherever you are. Grace for All is written, edited, and produced by the lay members of First United Methodist Church. To learn more about our congregation and its other ministries, please visit our website at firstchurch.org. That's the number one, S-T-C-H-U-R-C-H-dot-O-R-G. [MUSIC] [MUSIC] [BLANK_AUDIO]
