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Welcome to this episode of The Prayer Podcast with Jan L. Burt

Today we are looking at a verse from the book of Mark and I’m going to read from the New Living Translation.

Mark 8:34 - Then, calling the crowd to join His disciples, He said, “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow Me.”

Have you ever considered the fact that a dedicated prayer life requires much from us?

A part-time, minimal effort prayer life, not so much.

But when you are dedicated to your craft, in any area of life, it requires something from you. It requires much from you. That’s what it means to be truly dedicated to something.

If we are going to pray in a way that obtains results, and that is the end game of prayer, right? We don’t pray just to fill up time, and we certainly do not pray in order to NOT have our prayers answered. We pray to obtain God’s response, an answer sent from Him. So if we are going to pray in a way that obtains results, we need to put some time and effort into our praying.

Don’t be praying and scrolling Instagram, because that’s not going to prove effective.

Can we apply Mark 8:34 to our prayer time?

I think we can.

Do you want to follow Jesus as His disciple?

Then you must give up your own way.

Take up your cross.

And follow Him.

Be dedicated to following Jesus. A follower needs to follow, right? Not run ahead or lag behind or try and be the boss of the one you’re following.

Be dedicated to following the Lord.

A healthy prayer life is one way we can be dedicated in our following. It’s our conversation with God, and we should take time not only to make our requests known to God, but also to listen. Be still and simply be in the Lord’s presence. Make room and space for Him to speak into our lives.

And sometimes we will have to pray a long, long time before a particular prayer is answered. That’s not what everyone believes, and I get that, I understand it, but sometimes it is a long, long road of prayer before say that loved one turns to Jesus and makes Him Lord. When we are praying for people, it’s good to remember that they have their own wills, they have their own flesh, and the Lord isn’t going to force them to choose to follow Him. But don’t give up. Continue in prayer for the long haul, if that’s what it takes. That’s a dedicated prayer life.

Following the Lord the way this verse shows us comes with giving up our own way.

And that’s the heart of prayer that isn’t trying to push and shove and fight with God to get what we want. This idea of giving up our own way, being willing to take up our cross and follow Jesus, when we pray with a heart that wants His way and His will over our own, we will be in for some very beautiful and precious prayer sessions and for some astounding answers to those prayers.