Praying All Night

I woke up this morning at 11am, rather disoriented and groggy. My eyes hurt. My head ached.

It was about 5 1/2 hours after Ben and I got home from the All Night of Prayer at church last night.

My (still somewhat disoriented) reflections:

- To pray all night is something Jesus did (and I doubt He took the weekend off to recover). I feel very weak, recognizing what a big deal it is for me to give one night for prayer.

- Praying all night is not generally an emotionally-enlivening experience. By about 3am, I felt numb and had a hard time formulating words into a coherent sentence. But, like Romans 8 says, the Spirit helps our weakness, for even when we do not know how to pray as we ought, He intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

- A night of prayer goes quicker than one might think. We spent the night primarily focusing on various ministries of the church--and we certainly did not cover it all exhaustively! Consider all the other areas of life that could be lifted up: family needs, world concerns, government and leaders, personal growth, neighborhood relationships, and so forth.

- We prioritize time for things that matter most to us. I am humbled to recognize how often I DON'T prioritize time for prayer. But considering the amazing promises God gives us related to prayer, I can think of almost no better investment of time.

- Groggy, head aching, and a little woozy, I was nonetheless content and very thankful when the night ended. Who knows what powerful mercies God may bring to our church this year in response to weak, simple requests from tired people.

"O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name" (Daniel 9:19).

"Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:13-14).