October 9 - Be “Preprayered”

 Read today’s texts first: Nehemiah 1,2; Psalm 133; Luke 22

MAXIMize YOUR DAY

If only we would spend time each day “preprayering”
before we face temptation instead of repenting after. 

Be Preprayered!  It may not be how the boy scouts spell it, but it should be the motto of every believer!  It is certainly a theme in all our readings today.  Nehemiah practiced it well, spending days in fasting and prayer (1:4) before approaching the king for permission to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.  And even in the moment before his request, he paused in prayer again (2:4).  No wonder he gained favor and always acknowledged where that favor came from (2:8b,18,20).

Jesus also modeled “preprayeredness.”  He made Passover preparation easy for His disciples by prepraying ahead of time and seeing prophetically a safe place for them to meet (8-13).  This was followed by a night of prepraying for His impending betrayal and crucifixion.  He even reminded His disciples to do the same, knowing that they were about to face their greatest temptation (40).

You would have thought they would have sensed the urgency in their Master’s voice as He talked clearly about His betrayal and broken body in what we now know was their last supper together before His death.  And yet while Jesus prayed so deeply that He sweat blood, His disciples drifted off to dreamland.  No wonder they were caught unprepared for their own persecution for being associated with Jesus.

They all deserted Him, but this account focuses on Peter’s triple denial, followed by a wake-up call from a nearby rooster and his deep remorse.  If only he had spent the first part of the night praying beforehand instead of crying all night afterwards.  What struck me as I reread this account was how Jesus anticipated Peter’s failure and had already preprayed for his repentance and restoration as a leader:  “I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail.  And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (32).

“Thank you Lord for praying for me and for my restoration after I sometimes face temptations unprepared!  Today I choose to be preprayered!”