IS THERE A RIGHT WAY TO PRAY?
QUESTIONS ABOUT PRAYER
NATURE OF PRAYER
Luke 6:12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
This is a difficult question because to say yes would imply that there is some special formula to prayer, but that’s not true. But to say no would imply that the bible doesn’t give any instructions for prayer. There is no exact formula; however, the Bible does share a correct approach or posture to prayer. The first call is that we approach prayer through humility, but let’s also dive deeper into praying with passion. Every time we see Jesus pray, he is praying with intention and passion. Jesus didn’t offer up flippant prayers or glittering words that rhymed or sounded good. He didn’t repeat the same memorized prayer over and over. He wasn’t filling time or hitting a predetermined word count. Jesus poured out his heart fervently and completely. Jesus prayed with passion because he knew whom he was talking to. Jesus understood that prayer to the Father was and is a powerful thing not to take lightly or to be done half-heartedly. Jesus rid himself of distraction and was intentional about taking time away from others to spend with God. He could have been teaching or healing or seeing miracles happen before his eyes, yet Jesus knew that the most important thing he could do in certain moments was to take a step back and spend time in prayer. It was these times of prayer that would recharge and prepare Jesus for what came after.
Another interesting observation when we look at the prayers of Jesus is the timing. Jesus always preceded any important event in his life (whether good or bad) with passionate prayer. Before Jesus was tempted in the wilderness he prayed. In Luke 3 during his baptism and prior to the beginning of his ministry he prayed. In Luke 6:12, the verse you just read, Jesus spent the entire night in prayer and the following day Jesus went out and called his first disciples. Jesus spent time passionately in prayer before he was transfigured on the mountain in Luke 9. The text says that while Jesus was praying, his face and entire countenance became different. In Matthew 26, we read the story of the Garden of Gethsemane, and how Jesus poured out his heart to God and found strength moments before he would be arrested and crucified. In Luke 23, as Jesus hung on the cross, he prayed in the most painful and difficult circumstances of his life, moments before he would die.
This quote by S.D. Gordon speaks to this as well. “How much prayer meant to Jesus! It was not only his regular habit, but his first resort in every situation. When opposed he prayed. When hard pressed by work he prayed. When hungry for fellowship, he found it in prayer. He chose his associates and received his messages upon his knees. If tempted, he prayed. If criticized, he prayed. If fatigued in body or wearied in spirit, he never abandoned prayer. There was no emergency, no difficulty, no necessity, no temptation that would not yield to prayer.”
Over and over we see Jesus pray with passion because he knew what lay before him and he realized he needed to be spiritually prepared for it. Does this sound like wise advice for our own lives? How much more should we be in continual prayer, given the truth that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring? As Christ followers, we need to be continually fueled up in our spirit because we don’t know what will transpire next in our lives.
Think about this in your own life. Do you pray with passion? What does it look like to pray passionately? What needs to shift in our hearts and mind so that prayer becomes more passion filled?
Another interesting observation when we look at the prayers of Jesus is the timing. Jesus always preceded any important event in his life (whether good or bad) with passionate prayer. Before Jesus was tempted in the wilderness he prayed. In Luke 3 during his baptism and prior to the beginning of his ministry he prayed. In Luke 6:12, the verse you just read, Jesus spent the entire night in prayer and the following day Jesus went out and called his first disciples. Jesus spent time passionately in prayer before he was transfigured on the mountain in Luke 9. The text says that while Jesus was praying, his face and entire countenance became different. In Matthew 26, we read the story of the Garden of Gethsemane, and how Jesus poured out his heart to God and found strength moments before he would be arrested and crucified. In Luke 23, as Jesus hung on the cross, he prayed in the most painful and difficult circumstances of his life, moments before he would die.
This quote by S.D. Gordon speaks to this as well. “How much prayer meant to Jesus! It was not only his regular habit, but his first resort in every situation. When opposed he prayed. When hard pressed by work he prayed. When hungry for fellowship, he found it in prayer. He chose his associates and received his messages upon his knees. If tempted, he prayed. If criticized, he prayed. If fatigued in body or wearied in spirit, he never abandoned prayer. There was no emergency, no difficulty, no necessity, no temptation that would not yield to prayer.”
Over and over we see Jesus pray with passion because he knew what lay before him and he realized he needed to be spiritually prepared for it. Does this sound like wise advice for our own lives? How much more should we be in continual prayer, given the truth that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring? As Christ followers, we need to be continually fueled up in our spirit because we don’t know what will transpire next in our lives.
Think about this in your own life. Do you pray with passion? What does it look like to pray passionately? What needs to shift in our hearts and mind so that prayer becomes more passion filled?