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Church: An Interceding Community
Colossians 4:1-6
Vs. 2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it
with thanksgiving.
I have always heard that prayer is powerful. Later in
my life I started believing that prayer is powerful. By God’s grace He
opened my eyes to see how important prayer is in a deeper way. Whenever I
think of devotion in prayer, I think of Jesus in the Garden of
Gethsemane.
Jesus was praying not just once, but in a series of
times just moments before going to the cross. He was praying in the
Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus told them to “sit here while I go over there to
pray” (Matthew 26:36)- With prayer it is important to set apart a time of
personal prayer where it is just between you and God; a time for you to
be ALL there before God.
He took along Peter, James, and John further into the
garden- his inner circle of disciples, for us maybe our version of Peter,
James and John could be our accountability partners or advisers in our
spiritual walk. Jesus trusted Peter James and John to be open enough with
them to share that he was beginning to feel “sorrowful and troubled” he
was being vulnerable to his closest disciples. In times of trouble and
sorrow we also need to be vulnerable, we need to be vulnerable in terms
of letting our guard down, being transparent, and admitting a need for
support. That state of being vulnerable is not very easy to attain
because as humans we don’t want to look helpless and weak, but really
vulnerability is a reflection of strength because Paul says “for when I
am weak then I am strong” (2nd Corinthians 12:10).
So Jesus continues to go further into the garden, now by
Himself, to meet with God. The Savior of this world FELL on His face and
prayed (Matthew 26:39). That is a pretty intense way of coming before
God, but really there is NO better way. You need to fall, and you could
cry, you could laugh for joy, whatever it is…you need to be real before
God in the moment of prayer.
Jesus was perfect, a man who knew no sin. Jesus in all
perfection needed to fall before God moments before taking up the “cup”
(sins of the world). There was a struggle Jesus had with that “cup” He
asked God if it was possible, to let that cup pass, but immediately
follows that plea with “not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).
In the time of prayer remember that whatever the cup is—-whatever the
sin, the struggle, the burden the Lord has placed on your heart to pray,
follow that with asking for God’s will to be done.
After waking up His disciples Jesus goes back to
spend time with His father. Jesus goes back to His disciples and says the
“hour is at hand” the time where Jesus was going to be betrayed “into the
hand of sinners” to be hung on the cross that brought salvation to those
sinners (past, present and future) (Matthew 26: 45).
Jesus is telling us now that the hour is at hand for
His people to pray and pray all the more till His second coming, for that
time is coming soon, so we need to be ready to intercede through prayer.
PRAYER
Father God, we thank you for giving us the greatest
example of interceding through prayer. Please give us the discipline to
spend time in prayer interceding on behalf of your church. Amen
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Are we praying for doors to open so the mystery of
Christ is declared?
Jenny Zachariah, Immanuel
MTC, Houston, TX
Christian Education Forum,
Diocese of NAE of the Mar Thoma Church
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