In this quiet time, I followed a Bible character who I can relate to in a lot of ways: Simon Peter. Prone to being impulsive, Simon lacks follow thru.
This article shows the importance of prayer in completing our well-meaning intentions. I recommend reading all the scriptures below, but if short of time, you can just read Mark 14:32-42, and Luke 22:54-62.
Key scriptures:
Mk 14:27-31; Mt. 26:30-35; Lk 22:31-34; Jn. 13:36-38
Mt. 26:36-46; Lk 22:39-46
Peter was an earnest disciple of Jesus. He left everything to follow Him. He passionately believed in and declared that Jesus is Lord, the Messiah. He also believed that Jesus was the promised King of Israel who will redeem God's people.
Once, he pulled Jesus aside to tell him that he must not die, but Jesus rebuked him for thinking humanly, not spiritually.
Peter walked on the water. He took that walk of faith that no one else did. When he lost focus on Jesus and became aware of the storm around him, he started sinking.
This was to be a pattern in Peter's life. He was impulsive. Quick to declare his faith, quick to commit, quick to admonish. Not that he was half hearted, he just lacked the depth needed to count his cost and finish his task. He was not reflective. (In a later story, we will see how Jesus helped him through the process of counting his cost).
Of him, what Jesus said was true, "the spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
On the night that Jesus was to be arrested, He vulnerably told his disciples what was about to happen to Him. He was to be arrested, flogged, crucified--ending in his death. This would cause everyone to fall away and leave him.
Peter boldly said (the passionate/impulsive guy that he was), "even if all fall away, I never will." I will die with you Jesus. I will go to prison with you.
Scriptures show that after Jesus was arrested, Peter did not abandon him right away. In fact, in the Garden of Gethsemane, he prepared to attack. He cut off someone's ear in his desire to defend Jesus. When Jesus willingly submitted himself to the arrest, I wonder how Peter must have felt?
While everyone else ran away, Peter followed Jesus right up to the high priest's courtyard to find out the outcome. Jesus recognized him from a distance.
However, when pressure built up and people started recognizing him as a follower of Jesus, Peter gave in to fear. He denied Jesus three times. He broke his word. His spirit was willing, but his body (his flesh, his humanity) was weak.
Too many times, I see myself doing the same thing. My well meaning intentions and goals get reduced to just a forgotten to do list. While I may first feel passionate and convinced about a business idea, a book I wanna read, a character I wanna work on, a book I wanna start writing, a skill I wanna master, a person I wanna help, a ministry I wanna get involved in--I may forget about it the next day, or the next week, or the next month.
This results to much confusion and insecurity. How am I going to accomplish anything?
Thankfully, the Bible is filled with input or examples that I can imitate. Let's follow Peter some more.
In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus took Peter and the 2 sons of Zebedee with Him. He asked them to pray. To Peter, he specifically instructed, "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak." As the story goes, Peter went on to sleep and didn't pray.
Jesus knew that Peter had great intentions in his heart--that he had what it takes to follow Jesus even to the point of death. Peter was willing but his body was weak. He needed God to strengthen him and supernaturally enable him to do what his body didn't want to do.
Jesus was a great example of this kind of reliance on God. He prayed to God in order to prepare his heart for his task. He was tired, sorrowful, and scared of the cross. The human side of him was pleading to be spared from suffering. Jesus knew His flesh was weak to accomplish God's will. He prayed intensely to the point of sweating blood. In Luke 22:43, we see that an angel appeared to him and strengthened him.
Peter needed to pray as much in order to carry out his good intentios. Alas, he gave in to exhaustion (John 22:45). He was not prepared for what's ahead.
This is what happens to me again and again. I don't prepare myself enough by praying to accomplish what my spirit is willing to do. God blessed me with talents and skills, and dreams, and ministries, and discipleship-- but I need to pray earnestly in order to stand by my word. I need God to strengthen me in order to complete what I said I would.
Prayer is a discipline. In fact, it's the most important discipline I must learn.
Personally, I see the following hindrances to my prayer life:
1.) Not prioritizing it
2.) Not knowing what to pray about
3.) Laziness
4.) Wanting to do something else instead of sitting down and praying
5.) Not scheduling it
6.) Refusing to start to pray because it is boring
I have decided that in order to help me with my prayer life, these are what I need to do:
1.) Have a prayer list
2.) Pray about every good intention, every goal that I have -- that God will strengthen me to follow what my spirit is willing to do
3.) Ask my husband to pray with me
4.) Go thru the ACTS prayer (Adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication)
5.) Schedule times to pray
6.) Spontaneously pray or pray on the spot if I remember something I should pray about.
Prayer is a discipline and we can not complete anything without it.
Lastly, prayer is an act of reliance on God. We know that everything in the heavens and the earth belong to God, and He controls power and might, and it is at His discretion that men are made great and given strength.
Nothing happens outside of God's will. And here are more scriptures to help us rely on God:
Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.
Proverbs 16:9 In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.
Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.
Proverbs 21:31 The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD.
There's more about Peter in the next days.
Questions to ask:
1) What good intentions have I wanted to carry out recently? Have I been praying about it?
2) What will I do to grow in my prayer life?
Decide to pray for all your goals and surrender the results to God.
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