Jesus came to earth to lay down his life for us and teach us how we should conduct our spiritual life. If He Himself prayed to the Father, how much more must we also maintain our prayer life. So, here are 5 lessons that Christ teaches us in the way he prays.
Prayer is a necessity
Despite our busy schedules, we still need to devote a part of our day to God. We are never too busy to pray. We work, eat, rest, take care of our children, we have fun. With all these tasks we do, is there not much time for prayer? Eating, resting, and praying are three equal necessities.
Prayer is the oxygen of our spiritual life. Without it, we were wasting away spiritually. Indeed, we all depend on God, and prayer should bear witness to this. Jesus had a most important mission: the fate of humanity rested on his shoulders; And yet he always made arrangements to spend time in the presence of God. So we have no excuse!
Prayer requires quietness
Interestingly, whenever Jesus wanted to pray, he isolated himself from the crowd (Luke 6:12). When he needed to meditate and spend time in the presence of His Father, He sought a cool place away from the noise and commotion of the city.
The Bible does not require us to pray in solitude. Indeed, it also declares that God stands in the midst of those who assemble in his name. Yet, it is just as important to follow our Savior’s model and be alone before God. Besides, Jesus Himself declares in Matthew 6: 6: “When you pray, enter your room, lock your door, and pray to your Father who is there in the secret place; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
Prayer requires intensity
In Mark 14:37, the Bible says that Jesus prayed all night on the mountain. When He came down, He called His disciples to order for failing to stay awake and pray. Because he was fully man, Jesus felt the need to sleep and rest. Yet, He felt it was more important for Him to watch to pray.
When we pray, we, like our Lord, must learn to be persistent! Our prayers should bear witness to intense faith and enthusiasm. The Bible declares that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to the violent, which is why our prayers must sometimes bear witness to this holy violence, especially in spiritual warfare.
Prayer has a purpose, but it must also be selfless
To accompany him in His mission, Jesus had to choose people worthy of trust. His disciples would go and preach the Word and even testify in writing to the life of the Lord. It was therefore not a choice to be taken lightly! Jesus had a Church to establish, and for that, he had to spend a lot of time in the presence of God. Our prayers have a purpose: an answer to a need, a request from the Father, and many other subjects.
But they must also be selfless. Jesus does not start the “Our Father” by saying, “Father, help me,” but “Father, hallowed be your name.” When we talk to a friend, we are not talking to them out of interest but envy. When we talk to our other half, we want to spend time with them.
It must be the same process for God. Our relationship with Him must be selfless. We pray to worship the Father because He is worthy to receive all praise. We pray to thank God with gratitude and gratitude. We pray to spend time with the One we love most in the world.
Prayer works
After spending the night talking to his Heavenly Father, Jesus was ready to choose twelve men to accompany him. No doubt He prayed because He did not know the Father’s decision. He wanted to act in perfect accord with His will. After praying, Jesus took action.
He chose the men He thought best suited to do the work He needed. Likewise, before acting, we must seek the advice of the Father and have faith that it is He who guides our steps (James 5: 13-18). When we are in doubt, let us not hesitate to spend time with the Lord so that He can show us what to do next. Yes, prayer is effective because He answers us because we are His children when we turn to God.
When we don’t know how to act, let’s open the Word and see what our Lord’s attitude has been. What did He say or do? How did He react? If he was in my situation, how would He have behaved? Likewise, if you think you cannot pray, look at the way Jesus spoke to the Father. He is our model par excellence.
