Most people pray when they feel they are desperate, see the last post about atheists and foxholes. We have even named a football play after prayer to signify that we have given it our best shot and now we are going just throw the ball up and pray that our guy catches it - the Hail Mary. We are all sure to pray when someone close to us is sick, in a car wreck or we are going through rough times in our lives. Desperate times call for desperate measures right? But what if desperation didn't just signify tragedy in our lives? What if we, as Christians must depend on God for everything on a level of desperation? We are new creations and therefore our direction, our very life blood must come from God for everything. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" This new creation is one that is now totally dependant on God the Father for everything. Desperation is the peg unto which our whole prayer life hangs.
There are 3 primary reasons for prayer that are seen in the life of Jesus and the early church. 1) We pray to express the depth of our need for God, 2) We pray to explore the mysteries of intimacy with God and 3) We pray to experience the power of being used by God.
We Pray To Express The Depth Of Our Need For God
Jesus was always praying. Before he did anything in His ministry he prayed about it. What does this say about how Jesus felt about prayer? What does this show us about Jesus' attitude toward God the Father?
Let's take a look.
Luke 3:21 & 22 - 21 "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." The importance of this passage: Luke uses Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist as the first act of Jesus' ministry. What is Jesus doing while he is being baptised? He's praying. This sets the stage for what Jesus will do for the next three years as he ministers to his apostles and readies them to spread His message to the world.
Luke 4:1-2 - "1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry." The importance of this passage: This is just before Jesus started His ministry. He prayed in the desert for 40 days before He did it. Jesus spent time with the Father before starting His ministry.
Luke 6:12 - "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." The importance of this passage: This passage happens right before Jesus chooses the 12 apostles. He spent time with the Father before choosing His apostles.
Luke 9:18 - Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"The importance of this passage: Jesus knew this an important time for the apostles and He knew He was about to confront them about who He is. Jesus spent time with the Father Before entering this pivotal situation with the apostles.
Luke 9:28 - "About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray." The importance of this passage: As Jesus was praying God spoke to the apostles saying "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." Can you imagine the profound impact that this had on the apostles? Also Luke 9:37-42 tells us that the day after He was praying on the mountain that Jesus rebuked and evil spirit from a boy in front of a crowd and that "they were all amazed at the greatness of God."
Luke 11:1 - 1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." The importance of this passage: The disciples saw that prayer actually nourished Jesus and that He literally needed this time with God. They knew how they were to pray according to their Jewish religious duties. They are not asking Him to teach them about religious duties in this passage.
Luke 18:1 - "1Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." The importance of this passage: Jesus is stressing the importance of persistent contact with God. We'll talk more about this when we get start talking about the importance of praying boldly.
Luke 22:39-40 - "39Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40On reaching the place, he said to them, "Pray that you will not fall into temptation." The importance of this passage: This is at the Mount of Olives just before Jesus was betrayed by Judas. Jesus is stressing to the apostles the importance of prayer. He is about to be crucified on the Cross and He is spending time with the Father before He went to die. Luke 22:44 says "44And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Jesus knew what was coming and He was praying.
Luke 22: 46 - 46"Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." Importance of this passage: Again Jesus is stressing the importance of prayer.
Luke 23:46 - "46Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. " Importance of this passage: What is Jesus doing with His last breath? He is Praying. Jesus started His ministry by being baptised by John the Baptist and He is praying to Father God while He is doing that and He ends His ministry on earth praying to Father God while being crucified on an undeserved cross.
Wait a minute - Jesus is God right? Isn't this odd? Is He talking to Himself? Why is He praying all of the time? Jesus answers this question in John 5:19 when He says "19Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." He also says in John 14:10 "10Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work." The reason that Jesus prayed all of the time was because He could do nothing apart from the Father. If Jesus could do nothing apart from the Father then how then are we as Christians, who's only way to the Father is through faith in Jesus, to conduct our daily life? How can we actually expect to live any other way than completely dependant on God? The fundamental conviction of prayer is that we can do nothing without God!
We Pray To Express The Depth Of Our Need For God.
People in the early church understood this need and it seems to be a theme with them. Let's take a look at the book of Acts. It's safe to say that things start happening as God's people pray in Acts. Let's look:
Acts 1:14 - "14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." This was right before Pentacost and the beginning of the new church.
Acts 4:24 - "24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them."
Acts 4:31 - "31After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."
Acts 9:40 - "40Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, "Tabitha, get up." She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up." Peter raises the dead, before this he prays.
Acts 12:5 - "5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him."
Acts 13:2 - "2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Acts 14:23 - "23Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust."
Acts 16:25 - "25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them." They were in prison when they were doing this.
Acts 28: 7-8 - "7There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days entertained us hospitably. 8His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him." Paul heals the sick after he prays.
Things happen in the book of Acts when people pray. The people of the early church knew that the fundamental conviction of prayer was that we can do nothing without God and they prayed to express their need before a Holy God. Jesus showed us that the source of His power was God the Father.
The first reason that we pray is To Express The Depth Of Our Need For God
Next we will talk about exploring the mysteries of intimacy with God.....
1 comment:
I've noticed there aren't any comments. Dude, I think you've said it all!!!!!!! Seriously, I don't believe there's anything to add to that!
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