Jason Helopoulos

And following that, Peter is up on the roof, and as he is up on the roof praying, spending time with his God, he receives this word from God that he is to go and to minister the gospel to Cornelius.

But maybe all we really need is the example of our Lord.

In Mark 1, among other passages, the very beginning of Mark's gospel,

He says that Jesus rose up early and he went out to a quiet place to spend time with his Father in prayer.

Now wrap your mind around that.

Here is the eternal begotten Son of God who knows uninterrupted fellowship with his Father.

And Jesus found it necessary in his humanity

to go out before everyone else was up early in the morning to spend time with his Father.

He saw this as a precursor to going out on his day.

He sees it as something that you and I should mark our lives as well.

If we look at Matthew chapter 6, you know Matthew 5 and 6 and 7 here in this great Sermon on the Mount.

And as Jesus is speaking in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew chapter 6, he says this,

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners that they may be seen by others.

Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Notice Christ's language.

It's not if you pray.

There's an expectation.

of his disciples as he's preaching the Sermon on the Mount.

He says, when you pray, go in to your closet and shut the door.