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We Learn from Jesus

And rising early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.

Mark 1:35
We Learn from Jesus Book Cover

Jesus was certainly busy during his three and a half years of ministry on earth. He spent much of his time with people. He taught multitudes and healed many. He had one-on-one encounters with Jews and Gentiles. He constantly traveled with his twelve disciples. But Jesus knew that he needed to spend time with the Father. How many times do we see in Scripture where Jesus withdraws to pray? Most of the time, he is alone when he prays, spending hours, even days, in uninterrupted communication with the Father (Luke 5:16; Matthew 4:2).

Prayer with God should be a constant in our lives. We learn from Jesus’ life that there are times when we especially need to distance ourselves from everything and everyone. Certain circumstances call for intense “us and God” moments. We should withdraw to pray before we make big decisions, as Jesus did before he chose his twelve disciples (Luke 6:12–13). We should withdraw to pray during our greatest times of need for God’s strength and presence, as Jesus did before the events leading to his crucifixion (Matthew 26:36–44). We should withdraw for prayer during those times when we sense an intense attack from the enemy, as Jesus did when the devil tempted him in the wilderness (Matthew 4).

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

If Jesus needed to pray, there’s no doubt that we need to pray as well. Getting alone with God removes the distractions and allows us to focus on him. Prayer doesn’t change God, as the saying goes— it changes us. It helps us align our motivations and plans with God’s will and his plan for our lives.

What do we say to God when we pray? One day, after Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us how to pray” (Luke 11:1–13). We mentioned the Lord’s Prayer in week two, but let’s revisit it as Jesus gives us this pattern for prayer. It begins with intimate words, “Our Father.” The use of the word Father implies both a familial and intimate relationship with God. And the use of  Father sets the tone of what is to follow—at the heart of every request is our dependence upon God. During the course of prayer, Jesus also instructs us to pray:

  • that God’s name continues to be honored,
  • for his will to be accomplished,
  • for daily sustenance,
  • for forgiveness of our sins as we, in turn, forgive others,
  • and deliverance from temptation.

God is not judging our prayers for how eloquent we sound or how many big words we use. He requires only a humble heart. He promises that if we come to him in faith, he will hear our petitions and answer our requests.

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Daily Question

What does your prayer life look like? Is prayer a consistent action for you? If not, what makes it hard for you to maintain consistency? Moving forward, what are some steps you think you can take to encourage more consistency?

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Comments (5)

My prayer life is good. I long for that time spent with God. If I don’t pray or I don’t spend time with God. I feel like my whole day is ruined and is off. So I get up every morning early and spend time with God in prayer.

Right now my Prayer life is New to me..I’m trying to do it when I feel the urge to and not force it…it happens about a few times a day….but I’m having the urge to seek God as soon as I awake each morning. More consistency is going to come with me having this urge bc to me it’s been more and more each passing day. God is great. Is praying in my head…the same as praying out loud?

Absolutely. God hears the prayers of our hearts. When we struggle with the words we can count on the Holy Spirit to pray on our behalf.

Prayers are a regular part of my life but not a discipline. They are on the fly versus being a regularly schedule time. How is it I can schedule appointments with everyone but God. Sadly, He often gets the crumbs of my time rather than than my best time. That is starting to change. He is pursuing me hard and He is waking me up early so I can spend true quiet time with Him. This morning’s Scripture verses were precious. Jesus prayed for His disciples and prayed for us who believe because of their testimony. I have many things to do, however, bringing Him glory by sharing my testimony with others is the most important item on what to do each day. May He continues to change me each day and open my heart to hear what He would have me do and may I serve Him with gladness. Amen.

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