Pray First!

By: Kathie Welch

Thursday, September 26, 2024

At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Luke 4:40

In Luke 4:31-41, Jesus had a very busy day! He taught in the synagogue; cast out demons; and healed many illnesses. All this activity happened on the Sabbath, which was supposed to be a day of rest! Scripture doesn't say how late in the evening Jesus performed healings and cast out demons, but it does tell us the following morning He withdrew to a solitary place to pray (Luke 4:42). I don't know about you, but I think would have been tempted to sleep in.

Jesus’ life had a consistent pattern: He began His day with prayer. Jesus knew prayer was His lifeline to His Heavenly Father and the source of His empowerment. Think how exhausting that day would have been for you and I. Almost every moment was spent serving others, and Jesus was available to them the entire time. But theses verses don't mention Jesus being reluctant, irritable, or exhausted. Why not? Because the Holy Spirit empowered Him to meet the needs of everyone who earnestly sought Him.

Like Jesus, Pray First is how we should start our day. It's impossible for us to accomplish all that God has planned for us without personally speaking to Him first. When we couple our prayer time with reading God's Word, we are asking Him to speak to us and to fill us with His Spirit. Starting each day with prayer won't make it free of problems, but it will give us the energy, wisdom, and willingness to solve our problems God's way. Think of your "quiet time" as a divine way to energize your day!

Two key thoughts from Luke 4:31-41:

1. The Son of God made prayer and a quiet time with His Father His first priority.
2. The same power that energized Jesus for ministry will energize us for ministry.

Someone once wrote these wise words: “Seven days without prayer makes one weak.” But it doesn’t really take seven days without prayer to make us weak… it usually only takes one or two! Considering the mission Jesus gave us (Matthew 28:19-20) and the power He promised us (Acts 1:8), shouldn't we follow the pattern He set for us? Christ follower, begin your day with a quiet time devoted to speaking To God in prayer.

The signs of Jesus' second coming are imminent (Matthew 24: 6-14), and we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. But one thing is clear, we can’t afford to begin our day without prayer!