So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing Matthew 26:40 NIV
Jesus knows that He will die on the cross in just a few hours. This will be the last time that He gets to be alone with His heavenly Father, before He is betrayed and his trial begins. In great anguish He prays – three times He retreats in prayer.
Prayer works but prayer is work. Jesus teaches us a very simple lesson today about prayer. It is okay to come to the Father in prayer and repeat the same request.
Repetition is okay but not mindless rote repeating. Be careful of falling into the lackadaisical repeating of promises. “This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it”, is a great word to repeat each day. Make sure faith interacts with it so that you see God working throughout your day and you are making decisions to rejoice. Familiarity can breed contempt. Pause and take time to digest the words from your mouth to make sure they still have the sweet flavor that you remember.
Repetition reveals the concerns of your heart. Some problems in life seem stationary and have a constant weariness. They reveal no change from day to day and remain the same nuisance. Maybe it is your health, maybe it is an unbearable relationship, maybe it is financial woes, maybe it is the sickness of a loved one that you have to take care of, maybe it is vehicle problems, maybe you feel powerless, and all of these represent the weightiness that is on your heart. Be encouraged to come to the Lord everyday with your concerns and listen for His guidance and help. You repeat prayers because they remain important to you.
Repetition has the potential to build faith. George Mueller prayed for the salvation of 5 of his very close friends. After 70 years one friend had still not become a follower of Jesus. Someone asked George if he was ready to stop praying. He replied, “As long as I have the urge to pray, I believe my friend is still in God’s heart, which means that Jesus can still save him.” This friend became a follower of Jesus shortly after George’s death.
Don’t grow weary of praying. Don’t give up and start relying on your own strength. Jesus went away and prayed for a third time. Let’s follow His example and bring our concerns for ourselves and others before the throne of grace again and again. Prayer is our connection to the source of our spiritual life.
Blessings Love y’all
Amen! Prayer is our greatest privilege.