Patterns of Prayer

“Patterns of Prayer”
 by Pastor Kent Munsey
August 16, 2020

Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

• Luke 22:39-20 (NIV)

In Luke 22:39, Jesus shows us patterns of prayer. He was tempted to disconnect from the Father’s will because the cross seemed too hard to bear. Yet, he persevered because he was strengthened by prayer. Twice we see that his disciples are following him physically but disconnected spiritually. The disciples followed Jesus to the place of prayer, but they did not pray. While Jesus was praying, the disciples were sleeping. 

Jesus comes out of this place walking in faith, while Peter came out attacking in fear. Peter was disconnected. When Jesus was arrested, the disciples were scattered but Peter followed from a distance. Jesus is confident facing crucifixion while Peter is cowering while facing female questioning. Ultimately Peter is denying Jesus while Jesus is affirming Peter. But, after his failure, Peter found strength and recovery in Jesus. Even when Peter is denying Jesus, Jesus is still affirming Peter. Even when we don’t believe in God, he still believes in us. We too need to follow Jesus closely and stay connected. We need to wake from our spiritual slumber, just like the disciples. We see Jesus model 5 patterns of prayer:

1. Pray Privately

Prayer is developing the single most important relationship in your life. The function of prayer is not to influence God but to change the heart of the one who prays. In Acts 10:9, Peter prayed because he knew the dangers of disconnecting. Prayer is the sacred and secret source of the power of Jesus. Luke 5 says Jesus often withdrew to pray. How much more do we need to do the same?

2. Pray Consistently

There are two types of consistency: frequency and time. We need to pray daily, monthly, weekly, but we also need to pray at specific times. In Daniel 3:10, we see that Daniel prayed three times a day. David in Psalm 5:3 says that in the morning, he prays. In Mark 1:35, Jesus prayed in the morning. Jesus prayed consistently at a specific time of day. We should develop a consistent place and time to pray. We need to regularly download God in our lives. We need to hear his voice.

3. Pray Preparedly

When we develop a private prayer life, and we find a consistent place and time to pray, we will find ourselves coming to that place prepared. We should take time to prepare for our times with God. Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives to pray, and there are some specific items on the agenda. When we begin to set an agenda and pray through our list, we will begin to see God speaking, moving, and acting in a significant way. 

4. Pray Audibly

God wants to hear our voice. The Bible says that he is the good shepherd and the sheep know his voice. Does the Lord know your voice? There is nothing that our Heavenly Father will not do for us. He wants to give us everything that we need. When we pray audibly, we cab bless others who are listening. Let’s make our requests known to God. He is available and eager to hear our voice. 

5. Pray Expectantly

God is a good and able God, and he can do more than we can ask, think, or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). He is all-powerful, he will answer us, and he will give us everything we need. The Lord knows us by name, he fights for us (Exodus 14), and he thinks of us. Jeremiah 29 says he has a plan for us. Psalm 62 says he is our refuge. We can expect that God will always come through. He is always with us. 

Let’s commit to praying like Jesus: privately, consistently, preparedly, audibly, and expectantly. Right now we are vulnerable to the temptation to disconnect, to distance, and to deny what we know to be true. Let’s pray and come awake to the things of God. 

Reflection/Discussion Questions:

1. Where do you pray privately, or where can you plan to withdraw to pray privately? 

2. When do you pray, and how can you develop more consistency in your prayer times? 

3. How do you prepare for your times of prayer? How would you like to start prepare for your next time of prayer? 

4. When was the last time you prayed audibly? What were the circumstances and results? 

5. Remember a time whenGod answered your prayer, and give thanks for it. How can you pray with expectancy in this season?