http://www.spiritualkindling.com/Site/Bible_Verses_on_Prayer/Bible_Verses_on_Prayer.html What the Bible Says About Prayer<br/><br/>Prayer can take many forms - - from early morning reading, Bible study and contemplation to the Mass itself. Romans 8: 5 tells us that even when we don’t know how best to pray “the Spirit intercedes for us.” We simply have to make the effort in good faith. iWeb 3.0.3 http://www.spiritualkindling.com/Site/Bible_Verses_on_Prayer/Entries/2008/7/28_Making_Time_for_Prayer__Mark_6_30-34.html 920ea3b4-4fc2-41f5-803c-1c1f0f0f8ec7 Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:35:56 -0500 In Mark 6: 30-34,, the apostles have just returned from their first mission, excited by what they have accomplished, yet bone-weary and famished. Jesus is moved by their appearance and says, “Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while.”<br/><br/>Like Jesus and the apostles, we all need a personal retreat, a place where we can escape from the cares of the world, an inner sanctum in which we can pause and recover our physical and spiritual balance. We need restful blocks of time to catch our breath and have a quiet conversation with God. <br/><br/>The first persons we have to minister to are ourselves. In caring for others, we can’t give what we haven’t got.<br/><br/>No one ever had a more important work to do than Jesus, but He knew when to call it quits. That's something we Americans have trouble doing. (My wife says that, when I die, the inscription on my tombstone will be my unfinished “To-Do” list.)<br/><br/>Luke tells us that, in the midst of His ministry, Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. When we don’t pace ourselves and take the time for much needed rest, recreation and spirituality, we lose our equilibrium. We become disoriented, frustrated, angry and, ultimately, depressed.<br/><br/>But, when we take time out for ourselves, we’re better able to minister to others - - just as Jesus “did when He and His apostles reached the far shore and “he began to teach them many things.”<br/>