LUKE 11:1, 5-9 Once when JESUS had been praying, one of HIS disciples came to HIM as HE finished and said, “LORD, teach us a prayer to recite just as John taught one of his disciples.” …Then, teaching them more about prayer, HE used this illustration: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You would shout up to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit and I’ve nothing to give him to eat.’ He would call down from his bedroom, ‘Please don’t ask me to get up. The door is locked for the night and we are all in bed. I just can’t help you this time.’ But I’ll tell you this---though he won’t do it as a friend, if you keep knocking long enough he will get up and give you everything you want—just because of your persistence. And so it is with prayer----- [Living Bible translation]
Summary:
JESUS led a prayerful life. One reference mentions at least 27 scriptures commenting about JESUS praying: Here are a few:
Luke 5:16 But JESUS often withdrew to lonely places and prayed
Luke 6:12 One day soon afterwards HE went out into the mountain to pray, and prayed all night.
Mark 1:35 the next morning he was up long before daybreak and went out alone into the wilderness to pray.
Matthew 26:36 Then JESUS brought them to a garden grove, Gethsemane, and told them to sit down and wait while HE went on ahead to pray.
See, “Jesus Praying, https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Jesus-Praying.
Luke 11 contains another verse about praying and also contains JESUS’ teachings on the importance of prayer and persistent, continuous, “not giving up” prayer. JESUS taught by giving a parable---an illustration---a story. It was an important lesson that HE wanted HIS disciples to understand.
In fact, JESUS wanted to make it plain for everyone. WHY? Because as one contemporary writer puts it, “The last thing I think of when I’m stressed out with work deadlines and complicated homework projects with the kids is to get on my knees…” See, “Spirituality and Prayer Relieves Stress,” by Therese Borchard.
Others might even add, “And, after I have already prayed, the last thing I think of when I’m stressed out with work, bills, family issues, health issues, and “everything else” is to get right back on my knees and pray again!” But that is exactly what JESUS taught! Pray, Pray, Pray and Pray again! Keep asking. Keep knocking. Be persistent. Expect an answer!
According to Borchard, quoting another writer, there are great benefits to having a consistent prayer life. Research backs up the theory that those who pray more or have a greater religious or spiritual life are better able to cope with stress, heal faster from illness and “experienced increased benefits to their health and wellbeing.” Here are some of the results of one study:
[A]… study conducted by the National Institute for Health Care Research (NIHR) illustrated that the Canadian college students who were connected to their campus ministries visited doctors less often and were less stressed during difficult times than the other students. The students who had strong religious correlations also had higher positive feelings, lower levels of depression, and were better equipped at handling stress.
See, “Spirituality and Prayer Relieve Stress, by Therese Borchard, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/therese-borchard/spirituality-and-prayer-r.
Other studies showed:
- Hospitalized people who never attended church have an average stay of three times longer than people who attend regularly.
- People who are more religious tend to become depressed less often. When they do become depressed, they recover more quickly.
Although prayer and persistent prayer (praying again and again and again and again…) may not be the first thing one thinks of in times of stress, according to JESUS and many researchers, it should be!
EXERCISE, THE LAST THING YOU THINK OF
Often when people are fatigued, feeling sapped and low in energy, the last thing they may think of or want to do is exercise. But research shows, that exercise may be exactly the thing would help.
In “The Cure For Exhaustion? More Exercise,” Tara Parker-Pope reports on a study conducted at the University of Georgia to determine if exercise could be used to treat subjects who complained of constant fatigue. Although they noted that fatigue is a common health symptom and can be a sign of a variety of medical problems, they also noted that about one in four people suffers from general fatigue not associated with a serious medical condition.
The research subjects were divided into three groups of fatigued volunteers. One group was prescribed 20 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times a week for six weeks. The second group engaged in low-intensity aerobic exercise for the same time period, while a third control group did not exercise. They used exercise bikes for exercise. The low-intensity group was the equivalent of “a leisurely easy walk.” The moderate-intensity group was the equivalent to “a fast-paced walk uphill.”
They found that both exercise groups had a 20% increased level of energy than the group that did not exercise. The low-intensity group had a 69% drop in fatigue compared to the 49% drop in the group that did the more intense exercise. So, more intensity did not mean less fatigue. See, “The Cure For Exhaustion? More Exercise,” Tara Parker-Pope, https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/29/the-cure-for-exhaustion-more-exercise.
If you suffer from fatigue you should always consult your personal physician and inquire whether an exercise program might be beneficial.
SOMETIMES IT IS WHAT YOU LEAST EXPECT
Like prayer and exercise, sometimes a solution comes from a place we least expect. That is often exactly what GOD does---the impossible, the unimaginable, the incredible, sometimes at times when we least expect, using means we never expected.
Sometimes GOD uses people we least expect---sometimes that person is “us.”
So, today, pray. If you can, exercise. Then pray some more. Like JESUS, pray often and about everything and for everyone.
Pray, continue to pray and BE BLESSED!
