Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. – Mark 1:35
 
Last week, we considered the question, “If I really want to follow Jesus, do I have to get up early to pray?” I suggested that the answer to this question is “No,” though the practice of early morning prayer is an excellent one to develop. Some of us are wired to give God our best at other times of the day.
Dallas Willard was the speaker at a pastor's retreat in Southern California. He was addressing spiritual disciplines that help believers grow in Christ. He encouraged his listeners to pray daily, but did not emphasize one time of day above another.
In a Q&A session, one of the pastors asked this question: “Dallas, I try to pray every morning before I start my day. But I have a problem. Often, when I’m praying early, I fall asleep. Do you have any suggestions for me?”
I’m not sure if that pastor was looking for some secret, some trick, to remain alert during prayer. Perhaps he expected something like “Drink a cup of coffee” or “Stand up.” That’s what some in the audience expected Dallas to say.
But that’s not what happened. Rather, Dallas looked at this pastor with kindness and said with compassion, “Well, if you’re falling asleep when you pray, maybe God wants to give you the gift of more sleep.” Wow!
What Dallas Willard understood, and helped us to understand, is that spiritual disciplines, such as prayer, aren’t something we force ourselves to do to earn God’s favor or blessing. Rather, they are a means for us to participate and grow in God’s grace. If we separate prayer and the other disciplines from grace, then they have lost their Christian distinctiveness. Part of living in grace is paying attention to how we are wired as people. If we’re early risers by nature, then by all means, get up early and pray. But if we’re not wired that way, then grace invites us to pray at another time of day.
So, once again, let me encourage us to work with our daily rhythms and schedules. Set aside time for prayer when you can be attentive or, at least, sharp most of the time.
Prayer
Gracious Lord Jesus, help us to see our whole lives as an expression of and response to Your grace. By Your grace, may we learn to spend time with You each day, delighting in Your presence and opening our hearts to You freely. Thank You for being available to us and wanting time with us. Indeed, thank You for desiring us! Amen.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. – Mark 1:35
 
Growing up, I often heard mature believers describe their personal prayer lives. Almost without exception, they got up early in the morning to pray. Some prayed for more than an hour before the sun came up. I admired these Christians and hoped to be like them.
Unfortunately, my best efforts at early morning prayer, usually after a convicting sermon or a weekend retreat, lasted for a few days at most. Inevitably, I’d end up sleeping through my appointed prayer time and feeling ashamed about my lack of discipline and zeal for Jesus.
Now and then, my sense of spiritual failure was exacerbated by Christian leaders who taught that early morning prayer is necessary for Christians who really want to follow Jesus. After all, Jesus Himself got up “while it was still dark” and “went off to a solitary place, where He prayed”. Doesn’t that clinch the case for the necessity of early morning prayer?
Well, not necessarily. Those who required early morning prayer in imitation of Jesus rarely “went out to a deserted place” when they prayed, which would seem to be as essential as the time of day if the example of Jesus is to become the absolute rule for all Christians. Nowhere did Jesus command His followers to pray before sunrise. In fact, He seems to have let them sleep when He went out on his own. Moreover, we have evidence from the gospels that Jesus prayed in the afternoon/evening (Matt 14:22-23) as well as all night (Luke 6:12). At one point He told a parable to His disciples “to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1). It’s likely that Jesus engaged in the Jewish practice of praying three times each day (at least): morning, afternoon, and evening.
So, as followers of Jesus, we should not be caught in the legalism of early morning prayer. Daily prayer can happen at different times, depending on how we’re wired and our lives' patterns. Surely, beginning our day with prayer is an excellent discipline. But some of us are best suited to opening a conversation with the Lord in the morning and devoting more time to that conversation later in the day. I know some deeply devoted Christians who enjoy their most intimate time with the Lord at night, before bed. Years ago, I read a book by a wise Christian who would wake up at 3:00 a.m. every morning to pray for an hour before returning to sleep! Personally, I am now able to pray most mornings, even before the sun rises. I think this is mostly due to my aging, not my amazing spiritual discipline.
Prayer
Gracious Lord Jesus, I thank You for Your example. You teach us to pray. Help me to imitate Your example in wise ways. May I learn to communicate with You – indeed, to commune with You – regularly and intimately. May my conversation with You begin in the morning and continue throughout the day until I go to bed.
Help us, Lord, to encourage each other in prayer and to do so with grace and love. Amen.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. – Mark 1:35
 
Most Christians struggle with prayer sometimes. To be sure, some Christians faithfully pray each day. Some even spend an hour or more in intercession for others. But these folks are the exceptions to the rule. The rule, it seems, is that we often don’t find it easy to pray.
There are many reasons for our struggle with prayer. The fact that we’re talking to a God whom we cannot physically see or hear makes prayer rather odd. Because many of us are not part of an intentional Christian community, we don’t have the support that comes from praying daily with others. Then there’s the fact that our lives are so busy – overly so. Sustained prayer gets squeezed out by work, parenting, serving at church, spending time with friends, doing chores around the house, and a host of other life-filling activities.
Then we read Mark 1:35: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” We get the sense from this verse that what Jesus did wasn’t unusual for Him. This sense is confirmed in Luke 5:16, where it says that Jesus “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 6:12 adds that, on one occasion, Jesus “spent the night praying to God.”
So, if we’re looking for a compelling reason to pray, here might be the best reason of all: Jesus did it . . . often. If Jesus, the unique Son of God, found it worthwhile and even essential to devote time to prayer, shouldn’t we?
I think the answer is obvious. Of course, it’s “Yes!” But if you’re one of those Christians who struggles with prayer, this question can lead to a sense of failure and shame. This is not my purpose at all. Rather, I want to encourage you today with two bits of good news. First, if you are reading these words, then you surely desire to grow in your prayer life. Why else would you be reading a devotional that leads up to prayer? God is already giving you a growing desire to pray. That’s great. May that desire grow even more in the days to come.
Second, the same Jesus who regularly went out to pray is present to help you and me as we seek to imitate Him. The Spirit of Jesus dwells within us and will help us if we are open and seeking. So, if you’d like to be more faithful in prayer, the starting point isn’t guilt. It isn’t rehearsing your past failures. Rather, it’s a simple request: “Lord Jesus, help me to pray!” If you ask, He will.
 
Prayer
Lord Jesus, as I see your example of prayer, I confess that I am, at first, somewhat disheartened. I’ve been a Christian for a while now, and it still is difficult to imitate Your prayer life. I wonder why I am so dull, so prayerless at times.
Yet, I am also encouraged, Lord, because I sense that You want to grow my desire for prayer. You are helping me to pray and to pray more often. Thank You!
Still, I ask for even more help, so that I can consistently spend time communicating with You. Teach me to pray, O Lord. Help me to be like You! In Your Name I pray. Amen.

For many families, August is one of the busiest times of the year. Children are on summer break, taking part in activities, and preparing to return to school. Some are even entering new schools or moving into a new stage of life. Even for households without children, this season is far from restful. Some take the opportunity to travel and visit family, others renovate their homes, plan for a move, switch jobs, or schedule their annual checkups and treatments. Entire families find themselves swept into a hectic rhythm, where every seemingly trivial task weaves into a very real challenge of daily life.
In this season, our church also reaches a special milestone: August 3 marks the 37th anniversary of our church. We are grateful for the Lord’s grace that has sustained us through the years. But this is not merely a time to look back—it is also a time to ask ourselves again: For whom do we exist? What is our next step?
To prepare for a new church year, we are launching a “40-Day Prayer Movement”, believing that revival must begin with prayer. In the book of Nehemiah, we see the key to true renewal. When the Israelites returned to Jerusalem, they faced a discouraging situation: the city walls were in ruins, the people were scattered, and their faith had grown cold. But Nehemiah didn’t choose to stand by idly—his first response was prayer.
Nehemiah 1:4 records: “When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.” This verse reminds us that the revival of the church doesn’t begin with strategy or structural changes. It begins with tearful, heartfelt prayer. It also begins with repentance and with a heart willing to be used by God. When Nehemiah rose up, the people rose up with him. Their hearts were stirred, and they said, “Let us start rebuilding” (Nehemiah 2:18). The task of rebuilding the wall was ultimately completed in just 52 days.
Today, we too must rise and build. Whether or not you’re already serving, whether or not you feel strong or ready, we can all begin with prayer. Let yourself be like one of the stones lifted up by the Lord—offering your prayers, your time, and your life for the building up of the body.
In the blink of an eye, we’ve entered the third quarter of 2025. At the beginning of the year, did you write down any spiritual goals? Did you resolve to serve more? Did you hope to restore broken relationships? Did you long to draw closer to God? But as time passed, and with life’s pressures and weariness, some have slowly forgotten those early desires. Some have even begun to feel disappointed in themselves and powerless about the future.
But dear brothers and sisters, let me encourage you: You still have time! You still have a chance!
August is not just a busy month—it is also a season where we can choose renewal. May we not be swept along by the busyness of life, but instead intentionally seek the rhythm of the Lord. Like Nehemiah, may our prayers rekindle the fire within; may our faith drive our actions; and may the revival of the church begin with you and me.
Let us walk together into a new year for our church, and into a new chapter of our own journey of faith.
“If you seek Him, He will be found by you.” — 1 Chronicles 28:9

“Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” – Jeremiah 33:3
 
The context for Jeremiah 33 is so rich and uplifting. These words were spoken by God to Jeremiah, the prophet, imprisoned for conveying the message God had instructed him to share with King Zedekiah. These words were to encourage Jeremiah to continue calling out to God, remain in constant prayer, and keep seeking God, especially during difficult times. Jeremiah may have been lonely and uncomfortable, but God reminded him that he could be in His presence at any place and time. God tells Jeremiah to call out to Him and listen for all that God can teach him, even when in prison.
Corrie ten Boom called Jeremiah 33:3 ‘God's private telephone number.’ She encourages us to call Him day and night because God never slumbers or sleeps (Psalm 121:4).
Have you been regularly dialing Jeremiah 33:3? Have you been habitually seeking God? Do you ever wish that you were wiser or discerning?
I know that I do! When I am stuck and do not know what to do in certain situations, God does give me the wisdom to figure out how to solve the problem. Well, that might be an exaggeration. Sometimes, I get no answer to my problem, but that usually means God is working in the background, and I have to wait patiently!
I am learning to practice the presence of God and to remember to call on Him and listen to what He has to tell me. I have spent hours of frustration trying to work something out. Of course, I have googled and searched YouTube for answers, but I could not find any. And then, I finally do what I should have done in the first place: I dialed 333 (Jeremiah 33:3) and asked God for the solution. And He has shown me how to do certain things.
We do not always see what God is doing behind the scenes in our lives. But He calls us to trust Him and to wait expectantly for Him to tell us the most amazing and mighty things that we do not yet know or even comprehend.
To hear God clearly and for Him to work well in our lives, we need to have clean hearts. Perhaps we may not be as rebellious as the people of Israel were during the time of Jeremiah, but if we ask God to reveal sins that we need to confess, let us do it so we can enjoy a sweet time in the presence of God.
So, take heart. Here are four simple steps for us.
One, our Father has given us instructions to call Him. He is patiently waiting for your call at any time of the day.
Two, God will answer, but we need to listen for His instruction; it may not be what we expect. We need to stay in the presence of God and listen for His direction. His solutions to our prayers are far better than ones that we can come up with on our own.
Three, God's ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). When we prayerfully come into God's presence, He promises to show us ‘fenced-in and hidden’ things (Amplified Bible).
Finally, be excited and expectant of what God will teach you. We never stop learning or discovering new things about Him. He has so much to teach us.
We invite you to dive deeper with us into a journey of discovering what God reveals about living in His presence using our 40-Day Prayer and Devotional Guide! The guide is available on our website or in hard copies. Do not miss out on this transformative experience.