The Secret of Finishing

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." (Luk 11:1 NKJV)

This phrase is interesting to me: "when He ceased." In other translations, it is phrased, "after He had finished" (NASB), or, "when He stopped" (AMP). As Bob Sorge says in Secrets of the Secret Place, "In a technical sense, we know that Jesus prayed without ceasing; but when it came to His secret place, there came a point of time when He ceased. There came a time of completion."

How freeing! While Jesus never moved out of His Father's presence, He did move from that specific time of prayer to other times (times of ministry, fellowship, rest, etc.). So, when it is time for my quiet time to end so that I may move on to other tasks, I need not resent the intrusion or feel guilty that my prayer time was not longer. My daily activities are not inherently less holy than my prayer time, for Jesus engaged in similar activities without diminishing His holiness.

Lord, help me to linger in the secret place for as long as you desire. Help me not to rush out too quickly. Then, when it is time to go, let me go with You. Teach me to continue in Your presence no matter what I am doing. Release my heart to go freely, knowing that the time set aside for prayer is complete. May I also go joyfully, knowing that the set-aside time with You will come again soon! Keep my spirit attentive to You while also being attentive to the people and responsibilities You have entrusted to me.