3 Things We Can Learn About Prayer From The Way Jesus Prayed
“Faith in Christs ability to do and to do greatly, is the faith which prays greatly”
E.M. Bounds
Prayer is one of our greatest tools that God has given us. It is our weapon in this fallen world.Prayer heals the brokenness. Prayer is the open life line that we have with our Savior that allows us to experience the all mighty powerful God. Are we using it, applying it, for everything in our life-- for our protection, deliverance, and victory? What holds us back from experiencing the abundance that is already laid out before us? Do you feel like you're unworthy, afraid at that God might want instead of what you want, fearful that His answer won’t be the one you think you need? Jesus was hungry and thirsty for God. He had a posture that opened Him up to the Lord. Jesus made sure that He was in a position to hear God speak in His life and abide by no hesitation.
How did Jesus pray in the Bible?
Matthew 5:2 states this “ And he opened his mouth and taught them….”. Can we dig a little deeper here for a minute? He is on the mount and the disciples came to Him, and I find myself asking myself this questions- Am I going to Him, running to Him to soak up all He has to teach me, to guide me? We read here he opened his mouth, he is a talking Savior, he teaches, therefore we must go to Him with open hands. There is no better person than Jesus to teach us about prayer. Let's dive a little deeper friend and hear Him speak to us.
He prayed with rhythm
In Mark 1:35, “Early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left [the house], and went out to a secluded place, and was praying there”. We see Jesus waking early in the morning while it was still dark, and departed to a desolate place and prayed. This posture to rise and seek the Lord first was a rhythm that brought Him to the hidden place to be with God. We also read that He prayed for an extensive time, His prayers were not instantly answered and certainly even for Jesus it was what God’s will was. Withdrawing, going to the hidden places, repeatedly, is a rhythm we see Jesus position Himself in to pray to hear God’s whispers. He goes back again and again to the Father, fervently. This is sacred, protected time with the Lord.
He prayed surrendered
In Matthew 26:39, And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup [a]pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” We once again see this posture, this humility that Jesus has when He prays. He comes to the Father bold but surrendered. In a prayer, where He knows His death will happen, and lays it all down to the Father, emphasizing that it is whatever is God’s will for Him. He is not asking to not die on the cross, instead, Jesus falls face down, prays and says “consistent with Your will”. Because Jesus surrendered He was not afraid to pray for deliverance, for what was to come, He had undoubting faith in His Father that He can do all things. In surrendering to the Father, he was able to pray for the big things, the hard stuff, on top of all the other prayers we read in the bible-- He knew the father would deliver Him when He gave it all on the cross.
He prayed powerfully and victoriously
In Matthew 6:9-13 we read, “Pray, then, [a]in this way:
‘Our Father, who is in heaven,
[b]Hallowed be Your name.
‘[c]Your kingdom come,
Your [d]will be done
On earth, as it is in heaven.
‘Give us this day our [e]daily bread.
‘And forgive us our [f]debts, as we have forgiven our debtors [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment].
‘And do not [g]lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [h]evil. [i][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’
Jesus prayed declaring that He was His father, He is our Father. He knew exactly who He was talking to, because of the power and victory God has over the Kingdom. Heaven emphasizes the sovereign rule that God has over all- His power, one that brings victory for every single one of us. When he spoke these words as He prayed he set the Father apart from everything, powerfully He prayed and spoke His name. He is victorious when He prays declaring this truth that His kingdom has come, His will shall be done. We see the power in the words Jesus prays here because He prays for all that is to come. Jesus prays from a place where fear is absent because He trusts that the Father power is victorious.
What can we learn about the way He prayed?
Through rhythm, He found connection and heard the Lord
We see a very living human aspect of Jesus when He goes out to a secret private place to pray. He was quieting His surroundings so that He could lean in closer to God and hear the gentle whispers. The same applies to us when we meet Him in the secret places, the hidden places of our lives we can quiet the noises, the busy.
Through surrender He left fear behind and sought God's’ will
I don’t know about you but when I read Jesus praying I can picture Him, being so humble and lifting His hands up in surrender. In a posture that allows our Heavenly Father to lean in closer to us. We learn from Jesus that by surrendering it all we seek His will, we are there to encounter His whispers. Our hunger and thirst for the Lord when we surrender becomes our constant appetite. Can we be so desperate that our faith in the Lord is the complete belief in what His ability is and not ours? Are we coming to the Father, fully surrender, fully prepared to abide in what it is that He has for us?
Through power and victory, He experienced God's’ might and praised Him.
God sent His son Jesus to die upon the cross for us, so that we may be saved and live in eternity with Christ. We walk in the flesh through and with the power of God. His Kingdom comes, He will be done- that is the VICTORY that we get to walk in every day. A posture of praising our mighty God for this, and the power to know that when we pray He already knows what we need before we even ask. Are you walking in the abundance of His power and victory that He has already given you?
“ As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Psalm 42:1-2
Our God is here in all the rhythms of our days, when we surrender to Him, draw closer, when we stand firm in truth that declares He has won, He is victorious, therefore the weight is taken off of us because He carries it for us. As we proclaim His power, forgive, and confess we tell Him we are open to hearing and we are eager to respond. His words over our lives will never be wasted, He is waiting for you to get into the position to hear Him. Where will you go, what will you do, how will you live in Christ so that you will hear His whisper?