Matthew 26:40 – Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter.

Have you ever given yourself to prayer for what seems a long time and discovered it was only a few minutes? As a young man in the pastorate and seeking to develop my prayer time, I discovered I was concerned about the amount of time that I was in communion with the Lord. It was at this time that I did a very practical thing. I took an alarm clock and set it for one hour. This took the worry out of time.

This may sound too tangible for you, but it helped me a great deal. It is surprising how fast the time went by when I wasn't worrying about it. You may set your alarm for 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes. I suggest this because I know many believers have difficulty giving themselves to much time in prayer and Bible Study.

One of the greatest scientists is reported to have said that the world would be changed in a day if everyone would take a half hour in silence each day. He knew the communion, which is deep, has to be developed. He knew that development could come only with concentrated effort. He knew that prayer is the real avenue of real help to real problems.

Wouldn't your day be different if you gave yourself to a period of time of looking only at your source of help, instead of at your problems? Take time to pray and you will have victory in Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, may I see You as my only real source of help and comfort. Amen.

(From The Ministry of the Master ©1986 by Donald Bartow. Used by permission.)

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