LEARNING TO PRAY LIKE JESUS
Jesus Christ is our perfect example of praying and communicating with God. Before Jesus began his public ministry to save the world, he prayed and fasted 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. We can learn to pray most effectively and overcome the world by observing Jesus.
With God the Father’s help, Jesus overcame the world. As followers of Jesus we should make prayer an integral part of our lives to overcome the world (John 16:33).
JESUS TELLS US WHY WE SHOULD PRAY
The Lord said, “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). “For in him we live move and have our being” Acts 17:28). As we move through life, we need God in every part of our live; and he wants to help us in everything we think and do (Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:17).
HE GIVES US EXAMPLES OF WHEN WE SHOULD PRAY
The Lord tells us: we “ought always to pray” (Luke 18:1). “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). And by his own praying, he demonstrates when we should pray:
- 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)
- He would often slip away to the wilderness to pray (Luke 5:16).
- He went off to the mountain and spent the whole night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12).
- He prayed to be able to do the Father’s will, and not his own will, when he was faced with dying in agony for the sins of the world.
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, as we continue communicate with him. God not only wants to be first in our lives, but be involved in everything that we think and do all day. (Psalm 19:14; Philippians 4:8; Colossians 3:17).
HE TELLS US WHERE WE SHOULD PRAY
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, he says in his 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).
HE TEACHES US HOW WE SHOULD PRAY
After having seen Jesus pray, his disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Jesus told them thy should pray in this manner:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
In praying like our Lord and Savior, who loved us enough to suffer and die for us; with the help of the Holy Spirit, we achieve the benefits and blessings that our loving Father has for us (John 3:16; John 14:15-17).
