Monday, June 19, 2006

June 18

Keeping Alert


Keep alert and pray.


Matthew 26:41 (NLT)



A few months back, I heard the most wonderful tip for a healthy marriage: pray together. A well-known Christian leader had shared it was the greatest marriage tip he ever received.

I liked the idea a lot. I love to pray and prayer can be so intimate—it seemed a natural thing to do.

And so, we prayed … for maybe a week. The problem? I decided we should pray … at night … in bed.

Now, maybe that works for some couples, but I must tell you, I can really relate to those disciples who kept falling asleep in Gethsemane. Soon the prayers were snores … and now they are no more….

But you know and I know these are basic truths: intimate times with Him in prayer are helpful and a healthy marriage is important. Bringing the two together makes sense and … it can work wonders for softening hearts and ironing out the wrinkles in relationships.

So what can I say? I’ve got to apply this verse. I’ve got to stay alert, I must pray—for Jesus told me to pray also.

Bedtime prayers are fine, they can be very meaningful, but I think, for me, they will become the sweet afterglow of an earlier and perhaps richer experience.


Lord, help me to find the right time to pray with others—especially my wife. Help us to grow together in Christlikeness. Amen.