When You Pray
Jesus started His teaching on prayer by saying: “When you pray.” By saying this, He took for granted that His disciples would pray. Prayer was not considered an option, but rather a necessity. He knew that if His disciples were to follow Him and do His works, they needed to know how to pray. Prayer is transcending. It takes us from the limits of our human experience into the Divine Presence. It is the means by which man communes with his God.
Each of the Gospels presents Jesus in a distinct way. Matthew portrays Jesus as a King, Mark describes Jesus as a Servant, John focusses on His divinity as the Son of God and Luke speaks of His manhood, being the Son of man. Jesus, as man, needed to pray. Luke´s Gospel is often referred to as the Gospel of Prayer. It reveals to us the prayer life of Jesus.
Each of the Gospels talk of the baptism of Jesus and that the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended over Him in the form of a dove, but Luke recounts that it was while He was praying. The other Gospels talk of the choosing of the 12 disciples, whereas Luke says it came after spending the night in prayer. All the Gospels tell of the crucifixion and death of Jesus, but Luke tells of Jesus praying for those who were crucifying Him. It was Luke who notes that it was while Jesus was praying that He was transfigured.
It was Jesus’ custom to pray. When the other disciples went to bed, Jesus went to pray. After a long day of ministry, Jesus would get off alone to pray. Jesus was not only the Son of man, but also the Son of God. If Jesus needed to pray, how much more do we need to pray? Jesus does not suggest that we pray, but He expects that we pray. As He prayed in time of crisis, so we must pray. As He prayed for direction, so we must pray. As He prayed to be renewed and strengthened, so must we. Prayer is our life-line.
The Early Church was birthed out of a prayer meeting. The disciples followed in the Lord’s footsteps and made prayer their custom. They prayed for the sick, they prayed when experiencing persecution, they prayed for provision, they prayed for one another, they prayed when they sent out ministries. In fact, they prayed for all at all times and in so doing, they changed their world.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Mat. 6:5-13; Luke 3:21; 6:12; 23:34; 24:51; 9:29; I Thess. 5:17; I Tim. 2:1