¶ Intro / Opening
🎵 Music
¶ Introduction and Confession Icebreaker
Know God deeply with Precept, where we discuss how to dig deeper into the Bible and discover God's truth for ourselves. Because when we know God more deeply through his word, we live differently.
🎵 Music
Hello everyone and welcome. to the No God Deeply Podcast. My name is Adam. Today I am joined by Karina, David, and Rachel. Hello guys. I just realized that our name spells card if you use our and that has no significance whatsoever, but maybe it's a way to I don't know, remember our time together.
Uh
So I've got a got a question uh for you guys. I want you to think back uh to when you were a kid and either you or a sibling or a classmate has done something wrong. And now there's an authority figure, a parent, a teacher, someone who's saying, Somebody better fess up or everyone is getting in trouble. Now I want to know what type of kid were you? Were you the type were like tight-lipped, I'm taking this to my grave, or were you confessing at the slightest threat of punishment?
Is there a terrorist? Oh, okay.
Those are kind of extremes. But yeah, where where would you which end of the spectrum would you find yourself on?
I guess it depends if if you're the one that messed up.
That's true.
Right, true. If yeah, if it's you, I think I would if it was me, I think I would eventually would have confessed. But if it was somebody else, I think that's a cardinal sin to narc on them. So I may go yeah. I may go talk to him after say, Hey, you better go Yeah.
Threaten them.
As the oldest sibling, I could bully my younger siblings into not writing me out and so I usually held strong. And give him that look.
Yeah, I think I would probably fess up. I'm trying to think back, you know, I was one of those good kids, didn't do so many didn't didn't get uh too in too much trouble. So I don't I don't remember, but no, probably fess up.
Hey your halo is little just be just your halo.
Okay.
fix that. Yeah. Yeah. I I think I lean more to the, you know, take it to my grave, keep my mouth shut. But I feel like if I would have been really pressed on it, I probably would have I probably would have broken. Been like uh you see it reminds me of those guilty dog videos. You know, for uh the owner has multiple dogs and somebody's chewed up the pillow and you can tell right away on their face which one it was. Uh they're just guilt guilt ridden.
¶ Justifying Our Bible Study Approach
Well, I'm not guilt ridden today, but uh, you know, we're only on the second episode of No God Deeply, and it feels like we're already breaking the rules a little bit. And I feel like I just have to confess.
Um
So, you know, we consider ourselves in depth Bible study people, right? We we typically dive into a large chunk of text and you know, I'm talking about successive verses where we can observe it and examine it. And, you know, we're not the type of folks just to gallivant through scripture and cherry pick our favorite verses, right? So, ooh. There's a juicy proof text. Let me have that.
A cross stitch.
Right, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Let me put this on my pillow or let me use this one for my uh next theological debate. And so
I'm glad I didn't wear my Romans eight twenty eight T shirt today.
Yes. See. But here we are today, and we're only going to look at a few short passages across three different chapters. So what's going on, guys? Ease ease my mind, ease our listeners' mind. Have we completely lost our identity as inductive Bible study people? What are we doing here?
No, I don't think it would be uh'cause we're doing our series right now is praying like Jesus, right? And I don't know if we can fully explore that without looking at the like the rhythm of prayer that Jesus had.
And so often in the gospels it talks about how you know it talks about what Jesus did that day and then he went off to pray a lot. Or it talks about how he went off to the wilderness to pray. And they're short little references usually. Um, and there's a lot of them, and we can't go through all of them. Uh, and so we've just picked a few, but it's really fascinating to look at that rhythm that Jesus had of intentional private.
Yeah, and and and uh we you know, we are the repeated key word freaks, right? We love key repeated words that that tells us what the chapter's about or the text. And this is uh a key repeated uh event that Jesus has, uh uh or activity, you know. So yeah, so we've collected, you know, I think there's probably what, close to nine of them maybe out in the gospels or something like that, and we've got three. So yeah, we're we're not breaking any rules.
Okay.
Well you don't need to feel any guilt.
Hoşçakalın.
Cross referencing section of the interpretation component. Yeah. Well within our yeah, our method here.
Very good. All right. Well, I I feel I feel more at ease. Hopefully our listeners do as well.
¶ Reading Jesus' Prayer Habits
Uh, so let's dig in. We're gonna be looking in uh Mark chapter one, also in Luke chapters five and six. And so Rachel is uh going to read those passages for us and then we'll discuss.
Yeah, let's do it. All right. So we'll start in Mark, and we're reading verses 32 through 37, which is our longest passage today.
Cảm ơn các bạn đã theo dõi.
Yes, sorry, did I not say that? Mark one, uh verses thirty two through thirty seven. It says, That evening at sundown, they brought to him, Jesus, all who were sick or oppressed by demons, and the whole city was gathered together at the door, and he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak because they knew him.
And rising very early in the morning while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed, and Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him, and said to him, Everyone is looking for you. And then we'll jump into Luke. So this is Luke five, verses fifteen and sixteen.
And it said, But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities, but he would draw to desolate places and pray. And then in the next chapter, in chapter six, verses twelve and thirteen, it says, In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he he continued in prayer to God. And when day came he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles.
¶ When Jesus Withdrew to Pray
Yeah. Yeah. And so since we are uh just looking at a few uh small passages, let's let's talk about the context a little bit. Uh so we'll find that context either in that uh chapter that we find those few verses in, or maybe somewhere else in the the gospel that those are found. But uh what uh When, I should say, does Jesus uh withdraw to pray? Uh do did you see a time reference uh there anywhere?
He rose very early in the morning.
I know. Uh Mark one thirty two?
Mm-hmm. Mark one thirty two. He rose early in the morning, but it was after it's
Yeah.
It was after a long day. Do what?
Thirty five heroes in the movie. Thirty five. There is a time reference in thirty two. Yeah.
Yeah, one thirty two through thirty seven. But it we see it was after a long day of healing and casting out demons, and then when he actually went out to pray was very early in the morning. Yeah.
Yeah. And and and you're exactly right. It follows an evening full of ministry, right? So he's uh look at verse thirty-three. The whole city was at his door. Like, wow. Um, okay, that's That's a busy, crowded, maybe hectic, and there's probably people elbowing to get closer, to get
And if there's a line, a cue being made, maybe there's some some pushing and going on, I don't know. Um uh but this guy can heal. This guy can deliver from from demons, you know. I I've got one or I need this. I I want in. So yeah, this Pressing. Probably all night. Right. And then what does Jesus do? He gets up early and goes and prays. Yeah. Yeah. The time phrase it does help. Um the reason why I said evening is because I'm I mark time phrases with a s a blue squiggly under the time phrase.
put a little clock out my margin and so I just looked at the text and the first one I saw was evening. But you're right, it is it is the early, very early in the morning he gets up.
Yeah.
Yeah, that's a good win.
There's another one in Luke six, um, verse twelve, in these days. And so it it does prompt you to look at the surrounding context and and what's going on. He's having some altercations with religious leaders, he's healing a man with a withered hand. We know from looking at five and discussing it just now briefly that he's also healing there and teaching there and people are pressing in on him. So it's a really active ministry season for him, it seems like.
Mm-hmm. I like that, Karina, because uh the in these days, uh Luke is our gospel who seems to be the most chronological. It's not that the others are making mistakes, it's just a different design. But Luke, you know, seen once an orderly account, you know, things that have happened. So yeah, so you've got all that piled up in the first five chapters. So when you get to chapter six,
Yeah, he's got he's got Pharisees after him. It looks like they think he's breaking the Sabbath, which is a, you know, honestly a death penalty uh a circumstance. I mean, there there is a lot of pressure. Um, and so he goes out Uh he goes out and prays that night. Yeah. Good.
And if you have ADHD, maybe Mark is the gospel for you because everything is immediately
Immediately.
Immediately. Um but yeah, these time references really did help me in in Mark chapter one get uh a kind of picture of the context because you go even Further back in in some verses we did not read today, but like back in verse twenty one, it says it was on the Sabbath. It was when it was when all these things were happening, which David mentioned about the the Pharisees wanting to kill him because he uh was healing people on the Sabbath. Um
I'm I'm wondering in thirty two if that's why it was at the evening at sundown when they brought all the people to be healed. It was like they they kinda had those ideas about the Sabbath too, perhaps. So I mean, we don't know that for sure, but that's gives us some context there of what his full day looked like um with those time references.
I can't remember what season it is in the Chosen, but y'all remember if if y'all seen The Chosen, um and it's not a verse by verse thing, so it's it there's some obviously some uh artistic license taken but They did a good job in this one scene of just showing how busy Jesus was. And he gets back that night to the to their little camp and everybody's just exhausted and he is exhausted. And yet he goes and prays. Um, you know, which is w exactly what we read here. Um
But you kinda get that sense of, you know what, I I don't know about y'all, after a really hard long day, I just wanna go to bed or, you know, binge on Netflix or something. I just wanna just Uh, in what does Jesus do? He goes and and he talks to his father.
Yeah. I think that is huge. I I was looking at at uh just cross references and and seeing other places where Jesus has this rhythm and Uh, I think it's Matthew 14 where he's just fed the 5,000, and then he walks on the waters to the disciples, and it talks about. what time it is, that it's at the fourth watch of the night, which you know, I had to do some research about. But that's between three and six in the morning. And so Jesus has
fed five thousand people, taught them, and then gone off by himself, presumably to pray, and then showed up in the early wee hours of the morning. Yeah. I I think about what what would it take to how much would you want that time to to do that? How much would you have to desire it um to do that?
Yeah. And then I use an excuse like I'm I'm too hangry to uh to accomplish anything. Let me get some food and sleep first and then yeah. Um so yeah, to see that commitment and um Yeah.
The context of the of the l the last one, you know, he's about to choose a disciple. So there there's a sense of this is a big decision. All right, the twelve apostles will be, you know, it I mean, Paul later will say the church is built on the foundation of the apostles. Um and so this is a really, you know, important decision. So yeah, he does go and it says he prays all night.
Mm-hmm. Um, not just a quick, hey, you know, make sure I don't mess up Lord. Um, I know who they are, but just make sure no he th he there's a dialogue and you wonder, is he is he praying for each one in And, you know, it's he praying for their their circumstances, their situations, their personalities, or their you know, who knows what he's praying, but uh but yeah, all night long he talks to his father um to make this big decision for the next day. To name the twelve.
¶ Where Jesus Found Solitude
Yeah, so we've we've talked quite a bit, you know, we indicated first time references, so that's the when and you know, we like to talk about the five W's and a H, uh who, what, when, where, why and how. Um and and we've kind of touched on those others too, you know, who, you know, main character, Jesus. the crowds ministering. Any of those while interrogating the text, any of those other uh questions uh pop out to you? The uh the where or the or the why or the hows?
Definitely the wear, for sure. You know, we see that he went to a desolate place. I think I think the Greek in maybe Luke f what is it? Luke five says the wilderness instead of a desolate place. And then the last one is a mountain. He goes to the mountain to pray. Like there was I feel like there was some definitely intentionality in the where he was where he was praying. Yeah.
It would be hard to pray right in camp with all the other guys or in the city, you know. Um Uh so he had to go away to uh a a place a desolate is the word itself tells us he was alone. It was private, right? It was uh his own little sanctuary maybe uh for him to talk and sometimes he had to go to a mountain, you know, to do it. Um um and I always wondered if like in some you know, the towns he was in a lot like Capernaum, was there a spot?
Did Jesus kinda have a spot? Uh and I've been to Capernaum several times and there's in the old city where they've uh they've uncovered it where Jesus literally uh would hang out and live. Uh, there's this gorgeous spot right there on the Sea of Galilee. Um, and I've several times I've been out there just praying, thinking, is this where Jesus talked to you? You know, is this it? Is this the spot? You know.
Yeah. I I appreciate that perspective too because uh sometimes when I hear desolate I I have a negative connotation like it's uh it's in the middle of the wilderness, it's an ugly place. And so but that's not necessarily the case, right? It just means away from um Yeah. It's good.
Now you can if you're in Jerusalem you can go if you go off the mountain, y it does get desolate.
Yeah, right.
It is rough, yeah.
All right. So we we've talked about this his need to get away. The crowds are are pressing in. Everyone wants to wants to see him, to experience these these miracles, to hear his teaching. Um, so he's in very high demand.
¶ Personal Demands Affecting Prayer
And so let's let's think about some some application here for for our lives. Uh what demands in life can keep us from from forming a habit of prayer?
I think for me it's I have a very demanding life. I don't have children, you know, I don't have any like sick parents or anything. Like so I think for me it's I have some demands, but it's mainly distractions. Like I filled my life with distractions, uh, to my own detriment. And so
Like surfing, maybe.
Surfing, I know. I get on that surfing app, I see if the waves are good. Although When I'm out there I'm I'm praying out on the water. I will I will.
That's a good idea.
That's what I expect.
Desolate wave.
You're also bringing to catch the wave, I'm sure, yeah.
True. No, I'm thinking more like social media, Netflix, like you mentioned. um even my social life, which I think is ultimately, you know, a good thing. Like I love to host book clubs and dinners and game nights and you know, so it can I'm always prepping for something, you know, I'm doing next. And so I think for me it's mainly distractions and lust of fans.
Well, I do have kids. Well, just one. Definitely he's a a demanding little type. Um
It just
the season that we're in. Um he's won. But yeah, I think it's less uh I I've come to realize um that it's it's It's doable to have a set aside time if you want to. It's doable if you want to. And and so I've been convicted since he was born of just that that well, since he started sleeping sort of well. I've been convicted of that spot between his bedtime and my bedtime of like you know, the the desire and the tendency is to be like, Okay, great, this is time for me to decompress and
And it's telling the things that I desire to do in that time. And so I I keep having to remind myself that the thing that is going to replenish And to keep those demands kind of in their place is is that time with the Lord and that that's a worth it time. Um, but it is hard to prioritize.
I'm an empty nester uh and a granddad. So um uh so I have lots of flexibility and I work from my home most of the time. So um for me I have a chair uh in a room, uh and it's by the fireplace in the wintertime it's great. Uh it's uh it looks out of a big wide open window. Like and and I've got a uh a crepe myrtle that's probably thirty feet tall. It's just we planted we got it like at Walmart twenty five years ago.
for like a dollar, you know, at a sale. And it's now it's I just I just have this it's like a little sanctuary and my wife has her own in the bedroom. And so yeah, so we've got a we've got a rhythm and a place, you know, to uh to set apart. Um, but, you know, it can um, you know, if I s oversleep, um, or something like that, or something else comes up or I get a
Sometimes I'll get a text, you know, early in the morning from one of my adult children and then that leads me into and the next thing I'm going, Oh, I didn't I didn't really get so I'm sitting in my spot. Um, but I'm not I'm not actually having the prayer time, you know, um there. That phone oh
Ja.
Yeah, so I tried to be intentional about getting up early. I've become an early riser. I never was growing up. And it's just become a it's become a thing. I I'm not sure I'm not sure what happened to me.
That's the best.
But I do joy. And I think one of the big motivating factors, uh, was actually uh, you know, wanting wanting to have quiet time alone and realizing if I do it early enough in the morning, I will not experience FOMO. Uh no one else. Uh I'm not I don't have to fear about missing out on anything. Nobody's gonna call me. Uh it's and so Yeah, I can be free of distractions. I'll put that in air quotes, free of distractions because
There's that phone still, you know. Yeah. Uh, which I should probably not use it as my alarm clock, but it is. So I'm touching the phone the very first thing. And so, um, so yeah, that can be a distraction. And I feel like a lot of times I've things that in and of themselves are healthy and good.
Thank you.
become the worst distractions.
Yeah.
instead of first thing spending time in prayer, I I love that book I was reading last night. I wanna pick right back up on that and continue to read. And An hour or two will go by and it's like, oh, I've used all my time that I intended to have with the Lord on something else. Again, that's not a negative thing, but because it replaced the time I intended to have of God, it becomes a negative thing.
Yeah.
So uh so yeah, that's kind of the some of the demands or distractions in my lifetime.
Kind of get in the way. Definitely relate. Mm me too. Yeah. Not to the morning person part. But yeah.
Give it a few more years and uh
It's great. Yeah. I go to bed at nine o'clock sometimes. It's awesome. Like I love I love to sleep and I love to wake up early.
That that was actually another motivating factor for going to bed early and getting up early is that Not too much great in my life has happened after 9 p.m., I've come to realize. So it's like
Sure.
I told my daughters the same thing. Hey, curfews midnight'cause nothing good happens after midnight.
All right. So um
¶ Creating Your Desolate Place
So let's talk a little bit more about desolate places. We've we've we've mentioned that a few times. Uh Rachel's got her desolate waves. Uh David David's got his uh crepe myrtle to to look at. Um Karina, you got you have a spot? What's your desolate place?
I do. Yeah. I um I need to be vigilant in in about not filling it with things. But I make sure I have a chair in our bedroom that I set aside for that and then I have a chair in my office as well. So that wherever I find myself I know I have a place to sit. Uh, the one in the bedroom, clothes get put on it sometimes. So that's what I mean about guarding it. But yeah, definitely need need a place to to just be free from distraction a bit and know like, okay, when I sit in this chair.
Got my Bible, got my journal, and um just helps to have that set up set apart place.
Yeah, it does. It doesn't it? It kinda g makes it more of a habit if you have a actual spot that you you don't have to be legalistic about it and go to it every single morning. But if you if you do get up and go to the same spot, your your your body, your mind starts to get into a pattern. You know, it's and I think it's a good I think it's a really good thing. Um
You know, of of kind of saying, All right, this is my habit. This is what I like to do. Uh and it doesn't have to be more you if you're a night person, it maybe you do it before you go to sleep. Um um, you know, um, and you do it there. But I think having a spot
that you actually uh designate um that's different, that's d devoted to it. Uh I remember being convicted about uh this woman who prayed for her son who was living in in a a life of sin and she took a closet and she just com she committed the closet to
the prayer room. Uh and she would put, you know, verses on the closet wall. Um and she would go on her knees and every day just spend time in the prayer closet. And I remember thinking, wow that's That's devotion, but yeah, I could see that how that would even facilitate. Uh okay, I'm here for a reason. This is important. This is the b first thing I'm gonna do today. Um it it has priority, it should set.
So I think yeah, there's a an intentionality and a habitual aspect to it that Encourage that dynamic.
And I do think without being legalistic, but I do think that privacy is important to have a place where you can be alone. W even if that's out on the waves or in a park. But I mean, I was with a girl I'm mentoring in my living room and my one year old's like crawling around like screeching like and and I and I was just struck by like, you know, I can't I can't just be here while he's everywhere.
It wasn't until he went down to bed that it's like, Okay, we have that one on one time and how much more with the Lord do we need like it's just me and you face to face in private. Um
Yeah.
Yeah, I think it's important.
Yep. Yeah, being a young mom, I imagine that's
Продолжение следует...
You don't have any private space hardly.
Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Uh ever present. But hey, I love it. I love it.
I think there's something to be said too. You mentioned like intentionality, David. And I I agree there's there's such a beauty when you have like a special spot. But I think the reality for some people, maybe different seasons of life is Almost creating a desolate place in your mind. So like I have ADHD. Adam, you mentioned that earlier. And so sitting, I have this really cute little reading corner in my living room. But if I sit there, I'm gonna get distracted by the dishes or the
floors that need to be swept or whatever. And so finding that's why I mentioned surfing, finding activities that are fairly mindless. Like walking the dog. Yeah. And kind of creating that desolate place in my mind. Yeah.
Yeah.
um, has helped me, you know,'cause then, you know, I walk the dog and it's pretty mindless and usually I just listen to an audio book or a podcast. But I'm like, what if I took that time and like just prayed? A walk. Like that would be amazing. And I don't I don't really have a very busy neighborhood. Nobody's gonna stop me. Like yeah. So I know that helps me too. Yeah.
I d my my hobby is is dual sport motorcycle riding. So I go uh out, you know, in the woods and tra and it's m my helmet. And so I sometimes treat my helmet like a desolate place, you know, like you're talking about. And that's where I get to talk and I will I uh you know, I'll pray out loud'cause I'm in my helmet. Nobody else can hear me. Right. I'll pray out loud, um and and ask him things and wait and see how he answers, if he answers, you know, and
Um, but yeah, that's a good that's a good image. Uh I build a desolate place in my mind, yeah, for that.
Yeah.
I like that. Yeah. Yeah, that's great. I remember I was I was a teenager. And I was probably stressing over some girl and uh I girls. Yeah. I'll do it to you. And so I was I was driving back roads in the country, just driving and thinking and pondering or whatever. And um I come along one of those brown, like natural area signs, you know.
And it's a place I hadn't heard of, and it just said m whatever it was called, natural area with an arrow. And so I didn't know. So let's see what this is about. And I go down this winding gravel road and like and it actually goes through a creek and over. And I'm like, I don't know where I'm going. Uh all the time. I'm just kinda like Talking to God, working through this issue. And I get out, there's a creek, there's a trail. Um, I was like, Well, let's hike this trail.
Uh and it ended up being I started hearing roaring water. There was a beautiful waterfall on this trail. And it just it just felt like one of those kind of, you know, God winks if you want to call it that. You know, it was just one of those kind of things. It's like, hey, I I see you. I know what you need. Yeah. And and I'm I'm here with you. And uh it was just such a beautiful time to spend with the Lord and it definitely felt like one of those desolate yet beautiful.
Of just connecting with the Lord and so so yeah.
¶ The Indispensable Value of Prayer
I love that. Hey, y'all, I was I was thinking about the the Luke five one again. Um, and uh, you know, there's this idea of um In verse fifteen, uh he tells us that great crowds gathered to hear him to be healed of it of their infirmities. Verse sixteen says, But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. So It seems like the text is saying he could have stayed and done more, quote, hands-on ministry, but there was a point to where he stopped that and went to go talk to the Father.
Seems to indicate that the value Of talking to his father and listening to his father, right? There seems it's almost like he he needs to go get recharged. His battery needs to get recharged so he can go do that. Um, and I find that so convicting because I'm a doer. I'm task oriented. I love getting things accomplished and and to think of, okay, I need to sometimes stop.
that's actually stopped doing so I can go be with you know with Jesus. Um uh and and there's I don't know about y'all, but there's sometimes seasons in my life where Things are just hard and heavy and complicated. And um and I find the less I go away to those places and talk to him about it, the worse it seems to get. And I don't wanna be superstitious, but sometimes I feel like if I just pray about it, it seems to work out. You know, there's
Um, and not to get, you know, all woo-woo, but there are times where I think he wants me to, you know, like his Sabbath principle, you know, once a week, stop. Just stop. And trust me, I'll I'll take care of it, you know. And I and I think that's Jesus is kind of modeling that for us here in in in Luke five of saying, but he withdrew. He walked away from opportunities um to go talk to his father. That tells you, oh, that must be so valuable. Yeah.
And it reminds me of John fifteen when he says, You cannot bear fruit unless you abide in me. So we can spin our wheels and we can do these things that look really amazing, you know. But is it really fruit if we're not abiding in Jesus as we're doing those things? Yeah.
Yeah, apart from me, you can do nothing. Yeah. Um, so yeah, he had to go back, go back and get recharged. Yeah. So I want to pray like Jesus. I want to believe how valuable it is to pray. Um, and I want to see it as a priority uh and something that's so significant that I can't get through a day. Can't get through a day without that time. Uh you know, and praying uh in it.
Uh, we always joke, my buddies, uh, when we're looking for a parking space and we find one, we joke and say, Well, I guess David had his quiet time this morning'cause he found a parking space. Commons like he's, you know, uh like it's superstition, but I was like I'm telling you, I don't know what it is, but if I skip if I skip that time, my day just stinks. It just stinks. Um you know. So there is.
I love that because I I I was convicted thinking through these passages. And, you know, I'm twenty nine now. Um Happy birthday. You know. Thank you, thank you. Um, started walking with the Lord when I was fourteen in a in a personal way, in a intentional way. And I can remember high school and college seeing that market difference and going, Man, I am useless, good for nothing, not just for others, but for my own peace of mind and my own sensitivity, the spirit, my sense of purpose is just
on the floor if I don't spend that time. And um just thinking about how as as I've gotten older, how many more demands I have and how um, you begin to cope almost in certain different ways of like, okay, if I have my coffee though, and if I, you know, if I have this and that, then I might be okay for a little while like
Just wanting to get back to some of that simple dependence of like, man, I I can't I can't be um of any use, you know, without the Lord. And um sometimes I I have to get to like the middle of the day before I hit that point, you know, where it's like, wait a minute. Yeah. So super convicting.
Can you imagine not brushing your teeth? Can you imagine like going a couple of days like, I'll I'll get to it. No, uh right. You gotta brush your teeth, right? Or a cop I don't know, y'all do.
The newborn. It's too long ago.
That's true. You need to know what day it is, right?
Actually.
You're right. I forgot. Yeah.
Yeah.
I get you.
Yeah. Or or coffee, if you're a coffee drinker. You d no, you if you go past ten o'clock without your cup of coffee, you're like, ugh, I got a headache. I don't feel right. Right. What if it was that way with prayer? Like.
Yeah.
Something's missing. Ah, I need to go pray. Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a good rhythm.
¶ Practical Steps for Prayer Rhythms
So yeah, we've talked a little bit about our rhythms, some of our struggles with uh either developing or maintaining that rhythm. If you um If you're wanting to encourage someone that that hasn't ever developed a a rhythm, kind of where would you where'd you tell them to start?
I know for me,'cause a lot of times it's we've kind of touched on this. We have to want it. You know what I mean? Like you have to to create that rhythm, you have to really want it. And I find myself in seasons where I have that rhythm and seasons where I don't. And I when I do have that it's kind of this funny cyclical thing, like The more I connect with God
the more connection with God I crave. You know those people in your life where you see them once a week, once a month, and you're like, That's good. I don't need more of them in my life.
Rachel, what are you trying to tell us?
Yeah. God God's not like that, you know? Like we the more we connect with him, the more we will crave it. And desire it and prioritize it. And that's what I've noticed when I am in that rhythm. The more I want to connect with God and pray and build on that. Whereas when I'm not in that rhythm, that's when I don't want it. And so it's kind of like Once you get in there, once you develop that rhythm, it's it's so rewarding because you find yourself desiring to pray even more, you know.
That's good. I like that.
Yeah. I do think I mean the word of God is so such an important part of this conversation. Obviously we're we're talking about it over the word, but Yeah, I uh I you know, people are like, I don't know what to say.
No one really does, you know, most of the time. Like when especially when it's like you're what you're saying, like it's this ongoing conversation. Sometimes you aren't sure where to pick up. And um, I think just praying scripture back to God for me has been just always a tip I give people of
Just start with a psalm. Um, just start with uh, you know, a narrative from the gospels and let that kind of be a jumping off point for your conversation. Um And so in that sense the rhythm kind of builds on your scripture reading or your scripture Bible study rhythm and they they can go kind of together and that can help sometimes.
Yeah.
Yeah. And in just a real practical matter, um, you know, listen to our first episode we talked about the Lord's Prayer, which gives you a good pattern uh to follow. Uh take you a piece of paper. And go to your designated spot at your designated time with your pen in your hand and kind of work your way through that and do that.
five days in a row, and you may find a habit starting to form. And you may say, Oh, I want to do that a little different. I want to add this or take that away. Um, but just it doesn't have to be extemporaneous prayer that
Yeah.
Oh, inspiring and just, oh, I just had the best time. It sometimes it's just, you know, get down and do your blocking and tackle. Get down and do the the basics and start to build that pattern. Um, you know. I mean I've been married uh next month I'll be married thirty eight years uh to to my wife. And I I can honestly say I'm more in love with her today than I was back then. Why? Because we have built
this relationship that is consistent. And that consistency, like Rachel was saying, makes me crave it. in more of it. Um, you know, but there is sometimes there is you just need to I mean, I still tell her I love her. I tell her every day, but it's not a rote I love you, but it is a consistent it's not something that she's like, Oh yeah, you told me that already.
Right. David, you've already told me that. No, she loves to hear it. Um, and because it expresses my heart. And I think the same way in our prayer life, if we'll just start be intentional, let you know, let's let's get a pattern going, let's build a habit. start doing it, then you'll start to find, uh, then there are times where you'll be praying and then all of a sudden the Lord just uh opens up something for you or he he uncovers something for you and you go, Oh, wow.
And then you stop it and you're crying and you are having a a a moment, you know. There are those uh but they're not every obviously they're not every time.
Yeah.
But I think my my counsel would be is
Pick a place.
Take your paper, take your Bible, work through the Lord's Prayer. Um, and and and just use each stanza as a as a guide. Uh and just and write it out. Um, you can throw it away. You don't have to keep it. You don't have to worry about somebody else seeing it. You need to throw it away, but that writing it out for some reason
causes you to focus, causes you to be, you know, present. Um, instead of, you know, just sometimes if I close my eyes and start praying, you know, quietly, I'm my brain goes everywhere, you know.
Right.
It's a trash day.
And I think it's a good point. I mean, between what you're both saying is that there is this beautiful uh just combo of delight and discipline that we we need to start with that delight. Um, and yet also recognize that that delight needs a framework in which to flourish that there are moments when the f the flames are gonna be embers and we need something there to catch us, something there to fan it. And you think about Jesus
probably praying multiple times a day. You know, maybe he didn't withdraw every time, but he's got these set times of prayer um that the early church then takes up. And we see that in scripture. So Yeah, just building a framework that can help feed that desire and that desire kind of burning and growing, like you were saying, Rachel, I think so key.
Yeah.
Mm. Yeah. Wait, delight and discipline, is that what you said? Yeah, I love that I love a good alliteration and uh
Yeah.
Yeah, that's that's perfect. And I I think that's a that's a good way to to wrap up our conversation today. It's been super encouraging. Uh a rhythm of prayer is so vital uh to our relationship with God. And uh listeners, if uh uh you have a prayer rhythm that's been beneficial for you, we'd love to hear about it. Uh leave us a comment on our socials. You can find us at precept.com. USA.
The Bible is a treasure trove of truth that can lead you into a deep relationship with God Himself. But how can you really dig in and discover that truth? Find step-by-step instructions on inductive Bible study in our How to Study Your Bible, a classic Resource with over 1 million copies in print. You'll get equipped with practical skills to discover the truth of God's word for yourself. Because knowing God's word
Means you'll know him more deeply. And that will change your life. Get your copy of How to Study Your Bible today at precept.com.
🎵 Music
¶ Take It or Leave It: Habit Tracking
All right, you've waited all this time for take it or leave it. Uh today we have Rachel sharing with us. Uh what what do you have for us?
Well, we were talking about a habit of prayer, a rhythm of prayer, and so my take it or leave it is habit tracking, either in a journal or an app. Do you habit track?
I want you so badly. I I want to so badly, so I'm taking it. I've seen some very cute ones on Pinterest. Yes. I asked a girl to send me the link. I I really am interested. I think it could be helpful for me, but I haven't done it yet.
I'm uh I'm leaving it. Uh, just because I've I've tried it and I spent way too much time on the tracking. uh than I'm actually developing the habits. So uh yeah, for me, I mean I it sounds great, but so far it's not worked for me. So I'm leaving it for now.
I'm kinda like you, Adam. Uh I wanna take it. I want to be the one to want to take it. Uh I did a uh this year I did a calorie counter app um where you log your food. And your water and your exercise. And and my wife did it as well and it worked for her. She just her brain just kinda works that way and she loves it. She loves accounting. Um she loves doing our checkbook. Um and I hate it. I hate it.
Um, and uh weighing the food and and looking it up and all that kind of stuff. So um I see the value of it, Rachel. I really do. I want to take it, but I'm like Adam, I think I'll have to leave it.
I am a take it. I can't count every calorie. But not like that in depth. But there are apps where like they're like habit apps where you like basically if you don't do your habits, your little Tamagotchi pet like starts to get sick or whatever. So basically your habits are like And so I can I can when it's fun and aesthetic, I take it for sure.
You're like I really need to read my Bible or my my little pet will die.
Mestheologically messed up.
Yeah.
Oh. Amazing.
Thanks guys.
🎵 Music
Thank you for listening to Know God Deeply from Precept, a nonprofit Bible study ministry. For over 50 years, Precept has equipped people just like you in nearly 190 countries to discover the truth of Scripture for themselves. You can get to know God more deeply through Precept's inductive Bible study resources. And when you know God more deeply, you'll live differently. To discover more about Precept and check out our resources, visit Precept.org.
🎵 Music