Prayer
In the next few posts we will begin to discuss prayer. This is one of the most important elements of our Christian life. It is our personal time to talk with God. We will focus on private time in prayer for now. Prayer together is powerful, and it is appropriate. However, let’s begin with our private prayer time.
First, a question – why should we pray?
As I have mentioned in earlier posts, my favorite advice when a question is asked is to think about another question – What did Jesus do? In this case, what did our Lord demonstrate and teach us about prayer.
- The answer to “What did Jesus do?” is that He prayed.
- He had a habit of frequently praying to God the father. If it was important for him, the Son of God, to pray, my conclusion is that it is very important for us to pray.
Christ prayed at many important events, both before and during the event. He prayed blessings before he worked great miracles. He prayed in his most difficult moments – on the cross.
Let’s simply let the scriptures create this image for us – our Lord in prayer to the Father.
Prayer time alone was very important to Christ. Most days he was surrounded with great crowds of people. He would find time alone, early or late, so that he could go to the Father in prayer.
Mt 14:22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
At times his private prayer time was more important to him than sleep.
Lk 6:12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
Although private prayer time was clearly important to Jesus, there were times when he took some of his closest disciples with him.
Lk 9:28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
Time just before his crucifixion was without doubt more painful and difficult that we can imagine. At those difficult times Christ prayed with great intensity.
Mt 26:36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 8 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Christ’s disciples saw how important prayer was in the life of their Lord. They asked him to teach them to pray.
Lk 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
And this is where we will return with the next post.
Blessings,
Larry
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