November 16

Pray Without Ceasing

Now Judas His betrayer also knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with His disciples. — John 18:2 BSB

These words give us a glimpse into our Lord’s devotional habits. The quietness of the Garden of Olives was His place of private prayer. He often went there for moments of solitude and communion with His Father. He also had other places, like mountain tops, where He would spend entire nights in prayer.

Our Lord’s example teaches us the importance of spending much time in prayer. Some people manage to get by with very little praying, but it comes at the cost of their spiritual vitality. Without nourishing their souls, they become spiritually weak. There is no such thing as a beautiful, strong, and effective Christian life without a rich life of private devotion. Every tree has roots, unseen by others, that give it life. Though hidden and without outward beauty, the roots are essential, for without them, the tree would die. In the same way, our secret life of devotion is the root of our visible Christian life. We will only flourish and be fruitful in proportion to the depth, sincerity, and passion of our private prayer life. A great deal of praying must accompany even a small amount of work.

Our Lord’s example also shows us the importance of regular prayer habits. Some people say prayer should be spontaneous, and that fixed times and places make it formal and lifeless. However, we are creatures of habit, and if we don’t pray at set times, we may eventually stop praying altogether. But if we go to our place of prayer at the same time each day, prayer will become part of our daily rhythm, and we will never go a day without it. If even Jesus needed regular habits of prayer in His holy life, how much more do we, with our broken and imperfect lives, need the same?