Prayer is God’s spiritual lifeline to believers.
Jesus spent many hours in prayer — both alone and with His friends. It seemed He favored the early morning hours or all night long. Jesus desperately longed to connect to His Father in heaven. He called Him “Abba” and “Daddy!”
Jesus was an incredible model to us in prayer. Especially considering that He only did what He heard His Father in heaven tell Him to do. We can assume that God compelled Jesus to pray. In the same manner, Jesus repeatedly instructed His disciples to be alert and pray, or to stay awake and pray with Him. But they were too tired. How often are we asked to pray — only to ignore or deny that heavenly voice of God? Do you suppose Jesus disciples had any regrets after that evening of slumber, followed by Jesus trial, torture and crucifixion? I think so. They slept while Judas worked and Jesus prayed.
Painful thoughts aside, this concept of Jesus praying to God is odd and exciting — Jesus (who is God) praying to His Father who is also God! Jesus and Scripture explicitly state that God is “One God!” For example, “Hear, oh Israel. The Lord thy God is ONE God, Halleluia!” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29) Those without a Trinitarian concept would certainly be confused by now. But our God is not a God of confusion, even if we cannot fully understand Him. To simultaneously hold that God and Jesus are one God requires faith and humility.
So back to prayer …
If Jesus needed to pray to remain connected His Father, how much more do we need to pray? And what exactly is prayer? How do we practice this mysterious discipline? What do we get out of it? Who is it for? And what we should (and shouldn’t) expect to occur as a result? Are there different types of prayer? Are certain prayers m,ore effective at certain times?
I would love to hear some comments and ideas on these questions. What does prayer mean to you and how do you practice it? How do you know when a prayer is answered? Have you felt God pulling you to pray?
Thank you and God bless!
© Thomas Isaac Berscheid
July 27, 2011 all rights reserved