Catch Your Breath

“And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” ~Luke 18:1

There are times when you just need to slow down, pause, and catch your breath. Perhaps during a hard workout or a high-tempo run you’ve needed to stop, put your hands on your head, and take a few deep breaths. Sometimes the phrase is more metaphorical than literal. Seasons of busyness can leave you feeling exhausted. Have you ever said, “I haven’t even had time to catch my breath lately”? In any case, the point is this: we need air to live, and some activities and some seasons leave us feeling deprived of the very source of life. I wonder if you feel out of breath today.

Jesus knew what it was like to feel exhausted, “out of breath,” and in need of life-giving air. He would frequently dismiss the crowds or His disciples in order to slow down, pause, and catch His breath (Matt. 14:13; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16, 6:12). By “catch His breath,” I mean that He would withdraw to pray. Prayer, you see, is the very breath of the Christian life. By it we are strengthened, sustained, and filled up for whatever is ahead, be it that day or in life in general. 

Prayer is as essential to the Christian as air is to all mankind. We are convinced of its value just by the sheer number of times we’re instructed to pray. Jesus speaks of prayer as an obvious part of His followers' lives when He says, “When you pray” in Matthew 6:7 — not if you pray, but when. Elsewhere, the apostle Paul tells us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Even our opening verse reminds us that we “ought always” to pray. One could say the very same thing about breathing. It’s not a matter of if, but when. We must breathe — we must pray.

Each of you has known seasons of hardship and stress, trials and troubles. Prayer is like the deep breaths that strengthen you throughout those times. In Philippians 4 the apostle Paul is reflecting on a life filled with cares, worries, and conflicts. And in the midst of it all, he instructs us to pray. When we pray, he says we will experience “the peace of God, which passes all understanding” (Phil. 4:7). It’s remarkable that he doesn’t tell us to power through, which is the instinct of many. Rather, he tells us to rely on God, cry out to God, and trust that God will take care of us. 

There are countless other things we could say about prayer and its necessity, value, and benefit. But we’ll end with just one last thought: we get to pray. You and I, as adopted children of the living God, are invited to pray to Him, because listening to our prayers is something that He cares about (1 Pet. 5:7). He tells us to pray, and He promises to hear and answer our prayers, both for our good and for His eternal glory. 

Rev. Kyle W. A. Lockhart, Pastor