Learning to Pray...Day 2

In the three years the disciples spent with Jesus, they learned many things; but the one thing they asked Jesus to teach them... "Lord, teach us to pray."

Did they seek Jesus' instructions in this matter because of the emotion with which He prayed, His passion, His brevity or His simplicity? Was it the inflection in His voice or the tenderness with which He prayed that brought about this request? I think not. I believe they sought to pray like Jesus because they saw how VITAL prayer was to the one they had committed to follow. They saw Him model prayer at every turn, even though the Bible only tells of five times that Jesus prayed with them within ear shot. But, Jesus did teach them to pray and He began that lesson by saying, "When you pray...."

You see, for Jesus, it was not a matter if you want to pray or you think you might pray or even when times get rough you should really pray...it was a foregone conclusion that prayer would be a vital part of our lives as well. Jesus expected prayer to be the natural, ongoing desire of our new life in Him. Paul, the great apostle, also chided us to "Pray without ceasing..."  or "In everything...pray." Jesus expected us to follow His example that He modeled by rising early in the morning and going to a deserted place, there to commune with His Father... a trait His disciples witnessed in His life every day.

Yes, we should begin EVERY DAY with prayer as our launching pad as we lift our praise to our Creator and make our desires, hopes, concerns and inner thoughts known to a loving, caring Heavenly Father. Prayer should not just be a 911 emergency call to God as we plead for Him to see us through some crisis.

A quality prayer life should have an established time and an established place. Jesus told His followers, "When you pray, go into your room..." Jesus wanted his disciples to know that we do our best praying when we are alone with our thoughts and in tune with the Holy Spirit who will make our prayers known to God. Jesus was warning them not to pray as the Pharisees, who prayed loud and long in the presence of others...and the use of repeated words in no way guarantees that your prayer is heard. Rehearsed prayers have little value since it is just repeated words, usually void of feelings or convictions. Unrehearsed prayers, offered in spontaneity, are the ones that catch the listening ear of the Father.

Jesus often left His disciples as stated in Mark 1:35 which reads, "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark; Jesus got up and left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed."  If it was important for our Lord and Savior to find such a place to spend time in prayer with His Father, how much more should we find a place where we can be alone with God and privately open our hearts to Him?

Now, I know that we all lead busy lives which can leave us tired, stressed, frustrated, irritated and often annoyed with anything and anyone... we need to rest and let the restorative power of prayer heal and calm our troubled soul. It is in this quiet place, alone with our Father that such healing and peaceful renewal can begin. Prayer brings about an inner peace that truly passes our abilities to understand. When we surrender our problems, worries and frustrations to our Father in that quiet place that we go to pray, we are telling God that He matters more than our problems. As we truly seek His will through prayer, God can clear our minds so that we might see what His solution may be and we can commit to follow His will in all things. Prayer does not make us better because we choose to pray...Prayer makes us better because it makes us surrender...In prayer, if we pray as Jesus taught the disciples, we pray....

Our Father, who art in Heaven;

Hallowed be Thy name. (He Is Sovereign)

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done

On earth as it is in Heaven. (That's surrender)

Give us this day our daily bread (Our dependency)

And forgive us our debts

As we forgive our debtors.(Our repentance)

Lead us not into temptation;

But deliver us from evil.(Our assurance)

For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power

And the Glory ....Forever ! Amen. (Our Hope)

Prayer makes a difference in the lives of those for whom we pray and in our lives because we pray. Don't let another day go by without establishing your time to pray; your place to pray; and your "why" you pray....Remember, PRAYER CHANGES THINGS...and you in the process!

Praying without ceasing...Communing with my Father,

WPQ