I woke up this morning and asked the Lord to teach me to pray. I want to really know what it means to pray, why he wants us to pray, and how prayer should be done. I thoroughly enjoy praying for other people. At various times, someone will come to my mind and I will pray for them, someone may contact me and ask me to pray for them, and there are those I pray for as I follow on Twitter. I’ve even had times when people have contacted me and asked me how they could be praying for me. It’s amazing to see how the Body of Christ works and serves through this simple yet difficult task of prayer.
One thing I know – prayer is not about me or you. It’s not really about the person being prayed for, the help needed, the “answered” prayer, or the blessing desired. It is about God, trusting Him, aligning our thoughts, actions, attitudes, and will with His. Prayer is the emptying of oneself and the filling up, internally, with the Holy Spirit.
Prayer is an incredible tool. Jesus’ followers recognized it in his life and asked him to teach them to pray. Luke 11:1 Jesus understood prayer to be the direct line to his Father. Even when it came down to those final moments in his life on earth. Jesus knew what he was going to face. So, he got alone with a couple of his disciples and prayed. Matthew 26:36-42
I like the way Eugene Peterson interprets this passage from Matthew in The Message. Jesus, “plunged into an agonizing sorrow” (verse 37). And in verse 38, Jesus says, “This sorrow is crushing my life out…”
Too often I go to God with my back against the wall or I’m way stressed out with a situation. I beg and plead for Him to do what I want or “feel” like I need. I ask Him for what I think I know will bring about the best ending. Basically, the picture here is a one of a spoiled little kid at Wal-Mart begging for a toy.
We can see from the life of Jesus that he went to his Father out of a close relationship… a mature one. Ultimately, this act of prayer wasn’t self-centered. He had one thing in mind – doing the will of His Father. He knew by doing His will you and I would have salvation – God’s plan.
Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if there is anyway, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, do what You want. (Matthew 26:39, The Message).
Jesus’ prayer, “Not what I want. You, do what You want.” – total reliance, trust, and confidence in his Father. I want to live this way. I want my life to be as such that it helps others desire the same thing. I want to be able to respond to the Father the way Jesus does in verse 42.
He then left them a second time. Again he prayed, “My Father, if there is no other way than this, drinking this cup to the dregs, I’m ready. Do it your way.”
Are you ready to let Him do it His way? I want to live life and pray His way. There is no better way to live than to live life the way God intended for our lives to be lived.
I will be posting my thoughts on prayer as I follow a 21 Day Prayer Guide from Genesis Church in Orlando.
