Rise up and pray

The gift that brought me to tears this Christmas was from Harrison, my Coast Guard kid, and his new wife, Olivia. All the way from Astoria, Oregon, they sent this little wooden prayer box.

In the box are blank cards with "Today's Prayer" as the heading, but there are also two very special cards. Harrison and Olivia each filled a card with thoughts of gratitude for me and our family, wonderful words that I will re-read and cherish.

Olivia said she noticed the boxes at TJMaxx where she works and thought they would be perfect for me and my mom. With the addition of their handwritten prayers, I would agree.

As I was looking at the box, I wondered at the Bible reference, Luke 22:46. I know several times the gospels mention Jesus got up before dawn to pray, passages that have challenged me, as Jesus must have been exhausted from traveling, preaching, and healing, yet there he was, up early and talking with his Father, getting renewed strength for the day. 

So I looked up Luke 22:46, idly expecting one of those passages. To my surprise, I was plunged into the garden of Gethsemane, with Jesus frantically shaking his disciples awake, urging them to get up and cry to God for strength to resist temptation, because his attackers had arrived.

The disciples, still groggy from sleep, were about to be tested like never before. I don't know if they were breathing desperate petitions as the soldiers surrounded them, but we do know that Peter cut off the ear of one of them. Later, three times Peter denied even knowing Jesus, actions that he later deeply regretted and for which he asked Jesus' forgiveness.

So I looked at my prayer box, gracefully encouraging me to "Rise up and Pray." What if, instead of merely thinking of Quiet Times as a pleasant morning ritual, I would see it as a chance to receive strength for imminent attacks? Because it is.