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“So, what do you do during weekdays?” He looked at me with a mix of curiosity and sympathy as he threw this question. He was new in town, opening a retail business and I was on my visitation – a kind of welcoming visit as the pastor. Obviously he was not a Christian.
We are living in a society where we deal with more things than we are occasionally capable of managing. When we finally take a day – or even half a day – off out of our busy schedule, invariably something happens or some people show up at the door as if they had been watching us from the corner. There is always a long list of things waiting for our immediate attention. Children, work, relationships, marriage, money, housework, and many others. (Of course, there is church!) It seems endless. Have you ever wondered why the quality of life has not improved although we have a more things than our ancestors did? Because, we are too busy to enjoy them. Too many good things can make our life worse.
As we look into Jesus' life, we can't believe how busy he was. People just kept showing up. They didn't have any concept of courtesy. No reservation was required. It was like a walk-in clinic open for 24 hours, all year around for everyone. And Jesus was the only doctor in town. Amazingly, he met with all of them. He spoke and people listened. He touched and people were cured. He preached and people repented. They kept on coming and he kept on working. No break, just work. People found absolute peace and rest in him. But there were always more people waiting for him. It seemed endless. Yet he didn't show any sign of fatigue. How could he do it?
Before Jesus started his ministry, he was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness and he spent 40 days in prayer and fasting. As he called his disciples, Jesus prayed first. He prayed as he performed miracles. He went away from the crowd after a busy day's work to pray. Sometimes Jesus spent the whole night praying. He prayed as he constituted the Lord's Table. Jesus prayed as he faced the cross. He prayed on the cross. Jesus taught his people how to pray but more importantly, he prayed himself first. It was not the theory he taught, it was his life.
Now it is clear where the strength of Jesus' ministry came from. It was from his prayer life. We are in the middle of Lent, the season in which we prepare ourselves for the cross of Jesus Christ and his resurrection through repentance and prayer. Many Christians use this season to read the Bible and pray more regularly. Others follow a certain ritual reminding them of the true meaning of the cross and resurrection. When was the last time you prayed with passion and determination? Today many Christians are too busy even to pray. Jesus prayed more as his life was getting hectic. He didn't pray in his leisure time. He made time to pray. Instead of dry elaborations, he knelt down before God and poured out his heart and mind. He confessed, then he waited and listened to God. Prayer is the probably the most important heritage of Christian spiritual life. Prayer is the channel by which we reach God. It is the path to God's dimension. Through prayer we come to realize God's intension. Through prayer we receive the strength to accept God's intention as our intention. Through prayer we have the commitment to live our faith.
It is time to pray. Please pray for the government of Canada, the global economy, for people who are suffering in the current economic crisis, and the soldiers who defend freedom around the world. Please pray for the leadership of the church and for yourselves. But most of all, please pray that we may pray as Jesus prayed. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but your will be done.” (Luke 22:42) It is time to pray for yourself and others.
