Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you….”
John 12:35a (NLT)
I remember asking a friend for some insights into how he prayed. His name was Bob. I was always impressed with the genuineness of his prayers… and his life. He gave me a simple answer – “I like to pray through Jesus’ life.” My first thought was that that would take quite a while so I asked him how in the world he did it.
“I take different aspects of Jesus’ life and walk with him through it.” Then he explained how he might pray through the “I Ams” that Jesus taught. Or he’d pray through the events of Jesus last week. Sometimes he’d pray through the 7 last statements Jesus said on the cross. Then he showed me how he did it. We took the miracles of Jesus and prayed through them together. He asked the Spirit to open our eyes and understanding – to give us insight as we prayed. I’ll always remember that afternoon with Bob. As we prayed through Jesus’ miracles – one after another -our minds would think of folks who needed healing, or nourishment, or freedom, or you name it. I still follow that advice.
I’m reminded of Bob’s advice as I read today’s challenge in our 40 Day Prayer Journey. We’re to pray for God’s light to shine in the dark places in Denver and the world. I’d encourage you to start by focusing your attention on Jesus’ light – to draw nearer to him.
There’s a simple law when studying the subject of light – the farther you are from a light source, the dimmer the light. Maybe that’s what Bob was helping me with that day.
