Praying Like Jesus

Introduction:

Jesus left us an example that we should follow -

1 Peter 2:21 NASB95

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

One of the areas that Jesus exemplified was in His personal commitment to prayer.

If we will be honest with ourselves, we struggle in the areas of “spiritual disciplines” like prayer and 5 reading/study/meditation.

If we want to become more like Jesus, we will be people who learn to pray.

The apostles learned to pray from Jesus from His example -

Value in Being Alone

Jesus had been growing in popularity among the villages in Galilee. Even when He heard of John the baptizer’s beheading, Jesus found it difficult to be alone -

Jesus fed the 5,000 men (not counting women and children) with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish.

Afterwards, Jesus sent the disciples on ahead of Him to the other side of the sea of Galilee; the crowds went away, too -

Jesus went up on the mountain by Himself, alone, to pray -

Matthew 14:23 NASB95

After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

This was something that would happen often, apparently - (NKJV, NASB add “often”)—don’t make spending time in prayer alone something that rarely happens; it should be something that is a regular occurence.

Luke 5:16 NASB95

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Work, even in spiritual things for the Lord, can cause us to become so busy and focused on other things that we forget to take a moment to be by ourself.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the lives of our family members and our kids that we quit taking time to do things on our own.

Jesus modeled prayer as a time for individuals to be alone with the Creator.

Matthew 14:23 NASB95

After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

Luke 5:16 NASB95

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Prayer is a secretive thing -

Putting First Things First

We are told that the most successful people get up early and they get all of the “clutter” out of their day at the very beginning.

With the example of Jesus, we certainly see that He was a morning person, but He did not start with getting the clutter out of His way—He started with the most important thing He could do that would make the rest of His day matter.

In the early morning, Jesus found a place to be alone to pray -

Mark 1:35 NASB95

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

What are the first things that consume your day?

Mark 1:35 NASB95

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

Mark 1:35

Reading the latest news about the government shutdown?

Looking at the forecast to know what to expect?

Cooking breakfast for the family?

Organizing the schedule to get the kids off to school and practice?

Those are all good things, but if we don’t set aside time for God and spiritual activity at the beginning of the day then we are missing out on something incredibly important.

Relying Upon God In Important Decisions

Just before Jesus called the 12 apostles to come follow Him and be His chosen ones to preach to the house of Israel and ultimately ambassadors to the whole world, Jesus prayed -

Luke 6:12 NASB95

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Jesus did not make decisions lightly. He spent time in prayer, focusing His mind and energy on godly things, evaluating decisions in view of what would be pleasing to God.

The peace of God comes as a result of prayer. There are situations that cause us to be anxious and force us to realize we need God. We are faced with hard decisions and trials of faith -

Philippians 4:6–7 NASB95

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Marriage problems

Financial hardships

Work challenges

School & social issues within the family

Sometimes there are decisions that we must make and we don’t know how all of the decisions will end. We envision “worse case scenarios.”

Do we spend time sharing our anxiety with the Lord in prayer?

Prayer accesses the peace of God which then provides protection over our hearts and minds.

While God may not answer us through direct speech/dialogue, prayer has a way of tuning us in to hear God’s message more clearly or be watching more carefully for God’s providential actions.

Luke 6:12 NASB95

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Sorrow may still be in our life; challenges may not be directly removed.

We need to realize that prayer is not always about solutions and answers to our questions and problems. It is about leaving things up to the Lord to be accomplished in His time.

Challenges may not be directly removed.

Yet with God, He gives a measure of comfort and peace, knowing that He is involved in our lives and that He will offer protection and guardianship through the trials.

Prayer is critical to this.

Inviting Others To Pray

Prayer was not something Jesus viewed as something that only He could/should do; He taught others how to pray - ;

Luke 11:1–2 NASB95

It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.

He taught people to address God as “our Father,” not just as Jesus’s Father -

Jesus saw the need to encourage persistence in prayer - ,

In the time of Jesus’s betrayal, He saw the importance to stir up His disciples in prayer as well - ;

Luke 22:40 NASB95

When He arrived at the place, He said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Mark 14:38 NASB95

“Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

We are to pray for our friends and our brethren -

1 Thessalonians 5:25 NASB95

Brethren, pray for us.

We are to pray for even our enemies -

We are to pray for all people.

When we ask for the prayers of others, we are inviting people to share in our struggles and we show how much we depend on one another, asking for people who are stronger than us to help us in times of our weaknesses - ,

Fervently Repetitious

One of Jesus’s main lessons on prayer is that you should not be using idle, vain words with no meaning or value -

Pharisees were all talk, but they did not demonstrate true faith in God.

They wanted to be heard by men for their many words, they did not want to be heard by God.

While Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane, just before being betrayed, He prayed to God. He expected to be heard because of His prayers -

These prayers were fervent. He meant them and He was impassioned. He knew that the only One He could turn to was His Father in heaven.

It is not wrong to ask for the same thing repeatedly. Even if those prayers are not answered, it does not make the request a sinful request.

Jesus prayed for the same thing, using the same words - ;

Matthew 26:39–44 NASB95

And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.

Mark 14:39 NASB95

Again He went away and prayed, saying the same words.

There is no shame in asking for God’s guidance, wisdom, and mercy on a repeated, continual basis.

Should I be asking God to forgive me of all the same sins?

There comes a time to start repenting, not just reporting our sins.

There comes a time to start repenting, not just reporting our sins.

While we should avoid using vain repetitions, fervent repetition shows that we are completely trusting in God and looking to Him for the strength, comfort, and aid that we desperately need.

Conclusion:

Jesus not only offers clear and precise teaching on the importance of prayer and how to pray—He shows us how to pray!

If we want to live how Jesus lived, we need to pray like Jesus prayed.

Jesus prayed as He was crucified “Father, forgive them...” — the means of forgiveness has been provided by Jesus’s blood. If you will come to Him in faith, confess your faith, and being baptized to have your sins washed away....