The Discipline of Prayer

If you've ever set an important goal with the determination to achieve it, you know, right up front, that there will be a certain amount of discipline required to attain your dream. Whether running a marathon, making an A on your algebra test or climbing Mount Everest, you will need to devote time, energy and be disciplined to each task along the way toward achieving your goal.

The same holds true in our Christian walk. Whether it's becoming more like Jesus, memorizing scripture or praying to our Heavenly Father; they each require discipline.

And Jesus himself was the model of this kind of discipline as scripture reports in Luke 6, verse 12 that says, "In these days he went out to the mountains to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God."  Or Luke 9:16a that reads, "And taking the five loaves and two fishes, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them." And let us not forget one of my favorites from Luke 11:1, "Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of the disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray."

Jesus was the model of discipline when it came to prayer. He had a time; he always had a place and he always prayed as long as it took to connect with His Father. He prayed in the morning when he would leave his disciples and go into the mountains; he prayed over his meals and when he was serving as the host of five thousand; and He always prayed before He released the healing powers of heaven.

He was disciplined in his prayer time and devoted to the process of leaving the cares of this world behind so that He could commune with the Father. Even in His darkest hour, we find Christ praying with his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane in Matthew 26:36,39,44 that reads, "Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and said to them, Sit here, while I go over there and pray."(verse36) "And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, "My Father if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as your will."(verse 39).....and when his disciples failed him as they slept, scripture tells us, "So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again."(verse 44)

Throughout the life of our Lord and Savior, he alone is our ultimate model when we look to someone that understood the discipline of prayer. He marked out a specific time each day to talk with God and He used every other moment to be ready to call on the Father to meet the needs of that moment. But more than the discipline required to begin a prayer life is the discipline to remain constant in our praise, petition and the promise that God answers our prayers. (Romans 12:12)

But then, that's a totally different topic that we'll tackle tomorrow.....

Praying for the discipline to be the man of prayer God has called me to be,

WPQ