Alone, I go to a secluded area. I want to talk with the Lord. There are so many people in my life who ask for prayer, who have deep needs.
How do I pray for them? Does my perceived needs for them line up with God’s will for their lives?
I think of my own prayer requests, wisdom needed so decisions can be made.
What would Jesus do?
Those words have become a catch phrase on bracelets and T-shirts, but this truly is my desire “to do the right thing” so I pray,
What would Jesus do?
A thought stirs my heart like the wind blowing through the pine trees on the hill.
Jesus would pray.
“But He would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” (Luke 5:16)
He made communion with God, the Father, a daily priority.
o Before he chose the twelve men who would be his apostles,
o Before Jesus spoke to the multitude, and afterwards,
o Before he healed the leper and the blind man,
o Before he was arrested,
Jesus would pray.
American culture has programmed me to be productive rather than be still.
Consequently, my Christian walk also gets caught up in a blur of activity:
Follow Christ, serve Him, live a life that is worthy, please Him, bring Him honor.…
I forget to be still….
And do what Jesus did every day of his life on earth…PRAY!
The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4) are the words Jesus shared when the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. John Chapter 17 also shows what Jesus prayed for when He knew His hour had come.
He prayed:
Ø His name would be glorified, and that believers would see His glory.
Ø God would keep believers safe from the evil one, and care for them.
Ø Believers would be filled with His joy.
Ø Believers would be sanctified in the truth; God’s Word is truth.
Ø Believers would be unified so the world would know that He was sent by God who loves them even as He loves the Son.
Ø God’s love would dwell in His people’s hearts, and He in them.
Alone in the wilderness, I know what to do.
I pray likewise knowing these are the best things I can pray for myself and others because
This is what Jesus would do.
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Even In This 
I can relate to your struggle to know what to pray, for sure. But there’s also those of us who spend so much time in prayer and reflection that I wonder if we “stay on the mountaintop” too long and never quite make it to the “productivity” part! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
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Bethany, it is difficult to come down from the mountaintop with God, but boy, does it equip us for the day ahead. And how wonderful to know even Jesus made the time to commune with God before He went about the Father’s business.
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Beautiful and gentle encouragement, Karen. Thank you. I went to a biblical counseling seminar this summer, and Brad Bigney was one of the teachers. He talked about how he felt like he had to spend an hour in prayer each morning since counseling was basically engaging in spiritual warfare – he also schedules a whole day for prayer every two months and sticks to it even when he’s busy. I’m beginning to feel like I need to do that since writing is so overwhelming. Love the pix – is that from one of your rafting trips? Hope you are doing well!
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You know an hour or prayer sounds like a long time, but when I get started….I can’t shut up. So many needs, I feel like an hour is a drop in the bucket. And yes, anything we attempt to do for the Lord brings spiritual warfare including writing.
As for the pic, that’s from an area that we have camped…not too far from Truckee/Tahoe. Usually no one is out there. It’s perfect for meditation and prayer.
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It’s beautiful, Karen. Reminds me of Montana.
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This is beautifully written, Karen. I love reading your blogs!
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As always, thank you for the encouragement.
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