“…could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation….”- Matthew 26:40-41 (NKJV)
Today, in the Christian fold, there has been a lot of misconception as to how long people should pray. Some people pray for fifteen minutes, others pray for five minutes and a lot others don’t even pray at all. When they manage to pray, they do it for just one minute and feel it’s okay. But the question is, are these few minutes of prayer enough to handle the challenges of life? Are they enough to produce the kind of results that you ought to produce in life? Well, the answer is a big No. Now, there is nothing wrong with praying for one minute or five minutes, or thirty minutes. But the truth remains that, if you are going to handle real-life situations or life-threatening situations, you must learn to pray for a minimum of one hour daily. I said that because this is the recommendation our Lord Jesus Christ gave to us in the Bible. In the book of Matthew 26:40-41, we see the story of how our Lord Jesus Christ took His disciples to Gethsemane to pray and while they were there praying, they slept off.
The Bible recorded that after Jesus had prayed for some time, “He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “what! Could you not watch with Me one hour? Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation….” Matthew 26:40 (NKJV). From this, we see that our Lord Jesus Christ expected them to pray for at least an hour. Now, He has not expressly told us to pray for a minimum of one hour but from the way He spoke, we see that it was an expectation from Him. So, today if you truly want to meet that expectation, you must learn to pray for a minimum of one hour and if you truly want to address a life-threatening situation, you should pray more. Our Lord Jesus Christ showed us this example, by going to pray several times in that same Gethsemane and also in the mountains. On one occasion the Bible recorded saying, “….it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God…” Luke 6:12 (NKJV). Did you see that? He spent all night praying to God. This lets us know that our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for more than one hour and so should you too. Therefore, be encouraged today to start praying for a minimum of one hour daily, and as time goes by you step it up. Remember, no moment spent with God is ever a waste of time. He knows how to always reward you for every moment you spend with him.
Today’s Rhema
If our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for many hours, the minimum you should therefore pray, is one hour!
Confession for the Day
Your word oh Lord is truth, therefore, I receive grace to pray for many hours without getting tired and as I pray, I am producing massive results in every area of my life in the name of Jesus. Amen!
