PRAYING AS JESUS DID

WE TOO SHOULD ALWAYS PRAY

Jesus said we should always pray (Luke 18:1). Before Jesus began his public ministry to save the world, he prayed and fasted 40 days alone in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-2). And he prayed throughout his life until the day he died on the cross for the sins of the world. With God the Father’s help, he overcame the world. As followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, we need to make prayer an integral part of our lives as he did. And by our praying and depending on the Father as Jesus did, he assures us we too will overcome the world (John 16:33).

WHEN WE SHOULD PRAY

Jesus is our perfect example of praying and relating to God:

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and prayed there (Mark 1:35)
Jesus would often slip away to the wilderness to pray (Luke 5:16).
He went off to the mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12).

Jesus said, we “ought always to pray” (Luke 18:1). The Word of God says: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:16).

We should recognize that without the Lord we can do nothing. “For in him we live move and have our being” (John 15:5; Acts 17:28). Communicating with God when we start our day is a way of recognizing our need for him. And in so doing he will guide us through our day. God not only wants to be first in our lives, but involved in everything that we think and do (Psalm 19:14; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:17).

WHERE WE SHOULD PRAY

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Jesus prayed mostly in solitary places. The Lord said, when you pray, pray to your Father in secret (Matthew 6:6). And do not pray so others can see you, nor use vain repetition to impress others (Matt. 6:7). However, the Word tells us that if two or more pray together according to God’s will, he will answer their prayer (Matt. 18:19-20; 1 John 5:15; Acts 2:1).

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HOW WE SHOULD PRAY

Jesus prayed yielding to God’s will. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was faced with the hellish death of dying on the cross for our sins, and being forsaken by God. The Lord prayed, asking God three times, if there was any other way for the salvation of the world to be accomplished. When it was clear to Jesus that God’s will was for him to go to the cross, Jesus said: “not my will, but yours be done.” (Matthew 26:36-46).

As followers of Jesus, we should pray in the “manner” he taught his disciples (Matthew 6:9-13):

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
THY WILL BE DONE;
ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.

PRAYING HELPS US RECOGNIZE AND DO GOD’S WILL

Constantly praying, reading the Word of God, being guided and helped by the Holy Spirit, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, according God’s will (Philippians 4:13):

Repent and believe in God’s only begotten Son as your Savior and Lord ( John 3:16; Acts 2:38).
Become like Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29).
Love the Lord with all our heart, and your neighbor as the Lord loved you (Luke 10:27; John 14:15; John 17:17).
Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ that others may be saved (Mark 16:15-10).
Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all other things will be added to you, including the desires of your heart and heaven (Matthew 6:33; Psalm 37:4; John 14:2-3).

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