Post by MIRIAM JACOB on Oct 20, 2006 12:42:26 GMT -5
Pray Without Sleeping By Rebecca Livermore
I can sense the broken, disappointed heart of Jesus when I read the words, "Could you men not keep watch with me one hour?" (Mt. 26:40). His disciples, the ones closest to Him, fell asleep when they should have been communing with the Father.
Whenever I read this passage of Scripture, I tend to be hard on the disciples. I sometimes wonder what their problem was. It was only an hour, after all. But in all honesty, as a fellow disciple of Jesus, I have been guilty of falling asleep or losing focus during my prayer time—often in much less than an hour.
To counteract this tendency, I've learned to incorporate the following disciplines to help me stay alert and focused as I pray.
Get to bed at a decent hour. Inadequate sleep is one of the biggest hindrances to clear, focused prayer.
Get out of bed. This may seem obvious, but on cold winter mornings, or days when I'm extra tired, I try to get away with praying in bed. It never works; I always end up going back to sleep.
Give yourself a few minutes to really wake up before you start. Put on a pot of coffee. Wash your face, or if you have an especially difficult time waking up, take a quick shower first.
Pray with a friend. When I was single, I often met with a prayer partner in the wee hours of the morning. Now, as a mother of young children, praying over the phone is a more viable option. In addition to keeping me awake, my prayer partners help me to be consistent.
Change your posture. Sit awhile, kneel awhile, walk around awhile, etc.
Take a prayer walk. As you walk, you can use your prayer lists, or you can pray for your neighbors as you walk by their homes.
Vary your methods. If you always start with a prayer list, try writing out your prayers, or prayerfully singing worship songs.
Our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak. We need to do what Jesus encouraged His disciples to do: watch and pray so we don't fall into temptation (Mt. 26:41).
© 2006 by Rebecca Livermore, a Christian speaker and writer from Denver, Colorado. Her passion is helping people grow spiritually. To read more of her articles on Christian living, and to check out her always growing selection of Christian resource materials, visit www.rebeccalivermore.com.
Article Source: www.faithwriters.com
I can sense the broken, disappointed heart of Jesus when I read the words, "Could you men not keep watch with me one hour?" (Mt. 26:40). His disciples, the ones closest to Him, fell asleep when they should have been communing with the Father.
Whenever I read this passage of Scripture, I tend to be hard on the disciples. I sometimes wonder what their problem was. It was only an hour, after all. But in all honesty, as a fellow disciple of Jesus, I have been guilty of falling asleep or losing focus during my prayer time—often in much less than an hour.
To counteract this tendency, I've learned to incorporate the following disciplines to help me stay alert and focused as I pray.
Get to bed at a decent hour. Inadequate sleep is one of the biggest hindrances to clear, focused prayer.
Get out of bed. This may seem obvious, but on cold winter mornings, or days when I'm extra tired, I try to get away with praying in bed. It never works; I always end up going back to sleep.
Give yourself a few minutes to really wake up before you start. Put on a pot of coffee. Wash your face, or if you have an especially difficult time waking up, take a quick shower first.
Pray with a friend. When I was single, I often met with a prayer partner in the wee hours of the morning. Now, as a mother of young children, praying over the phone is a more viable option. In addition to keeping me awake, my prayer partners help me to be consistent.
Change your posture. Sit awhile, kneel awhile, walk around awhile, etc.
Take a prayer walk. As you walk, you can use your prayer lists, or you can pray for your neighbors as you walk by their homes.
Vary your methods. If you always start with a prayer list, try writing out your prayers, or prayerfully singing worship songs.
Our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak. We need to do what Jesus encouraged His disciples to do: watch and pray so we don't fall into temptation (Mt. 26:41).
© 2006 by Rebecca Livermore, a Christian speaker and writer from Denver, Colorado. Her passion is helping people grow spiritually. To read more of her articles on Christian living, and to check out her always growing selection of Christian resource materials, visit www.rebeccalivermore.com.
Article Source: www.faithwriters.com