Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.
(Oswald Chambers)
What was Jesus’ greatest work? Most feel the greatest accomplishment of Christ was the offering of His life as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity, but Christ’s greatest work began long before He died on the cross. His greatest work began when He established a prayer life that caused Him to immediately respond to God and caused God to immediately respond to Him. Christ’s life of prayer prepared Him for the cross and all that He faced in the thirty-three years He lived on earth. The love that Jesus had for God, and the intimacy Christ shared with Him, is what sustained Him through every adversity he faced in life.
Jesus developed a moment by moment relationship with God. He prayed earnestly, opening His heart to the Father. The Scriptures declare (Deuteronomy 4:29), “Seek … God and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” “None can believe how powerful prayer is and what it is able to affect, but those who have learned it by experience. When in need take hold on prayer. I know, whenever I have prayed earnestly, that I have been amply heard, and have obtained more than I prayed for” (Luther).
“Without solitude, it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. Solitude begins with a time and place for God, and Him alone. If we really believe, not only that God exists, but also that He is actively present in our lives – healing, teaching, and guiding us —we need to set aside a time and space to give Him our undivided attention” (Henri J. Nouwen). The whole purpose for prayer is the ear of God (E.M. Bounds). Start your greatest work today by establishing a prayer life that causes God to respond to you and causes you to respond to God. Jesus said (John 14:13 -14), “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”