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January 24, 2022

Mark 14:31-38

But Peter insisted emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the others said the same.
They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

New International Version (NIV)

“More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of,” wrote Alfred Lord Tennyson. What is really at stake when we pray? Does it really matter?

Peter had promised Jesus he would never deny him. Then a few hours later, his drowsiness overwhelmed him. When Jesus awakened him and the others he urged him to pray. Why? Jesus said, “If you pray you will not fall to temptation.”

I wonder how many of our spiritual failures derive from our casual approach to prayer. When we pray we not only discern God’s will but we determine to do it. If Peter could have won the battle in prayer, he might have been able to confess Jesus instead of denying him.

One thing is clear: our prayer lives matter. They always matter. But in the crucial moments, prayer empowers us to do the will of God we know. After Jesus’ ascension, we see that the church was always at prayer. They learned the lesson of Gethsemane. Have we? There is no time like the present. Tennyson continued, “Wherefore let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day.”

Pray with me:
Father, we lift our voices to you in prayer today. Do more than we can ask or imagine according to your power that is at work within us. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Our 2022 Every Day with Jesus readings will cover the whole Bible in one year. Copies of the reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download your copy here:

2022 Reading Plan

We would love for you to join us as we read through the Bible this year. In addition, I will continue my long-standing practice of reading one Psalm a day through the year. As we journal together this year, Highlight a verse that stands out to you, Explain what it means, Apply that truth to your life and Respond to what you’ve read with an action or prayer.

Joyfully,
Duane

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Houston, TX | 77024 US

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