Praying Like Jesus
“Praying Like Jesus”
by Pastor Kent Munsey
August 2, 2020
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Luke 11:1 (NIV)
There are seventeen accounts of Jesus praying in the Bible. The majority of these accounts of Jesus praying are in the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 11, the disciples ask Jesus how to pray because they saw Jesus modeling a lifestyle of prayer. Likewise, we should model our lives as lives of prayer. In this season, God is calling us to prayer. We are going to be gathering together as a church (following state and local guidelines) every day throughout the month of August in corporate prayer.
Here are a few things we can learn about praying like Jesus:
1. Pray Corporately.
The secret source to God working in and through our church is prayer. After Jesus was baptized, he prayed. When Jesus was in this corporate moment with God’s people, we see that the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended, and the Father spoke. Every time we gather as a corporate body, we can expect an open heaven, we can expect God to speak. There is something sacred about when the church gathers together sacred places. The Father is speaking today. There is power in corporate prayer. When we gather together in groups we can experience the supernatural power of God, and we need it now more than ever.
The writers of Scripture believed that Jesus’ return was imminent. If they believed 2,000 years ago, how much more should we believe today? While no man knows the day or the hour, Jesus is coming back again. Regardless whether it is this season or another season, he is coming back. We need to pray and gather all the more.
2. Pray Privately.
A corporate prayer gathering is no substitute for a private prayer life. Jesus prayed corporately and privately. Scripture states that, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16). To withdraw means to go back, to retire, or to walk backwards. Sometimes it feels like we’re taking two steps forward, two steps backwards. If Jesus took time to pray, took two steps forward to minister and took two steps back to reconnect with the Father, how much more-so do we need to do the same?
There is no forward progress without taking the time to meet with God. Sometimes we need to withdraw from opportunities or blessings and go back to that place of personal dependency on the Father. Jesus withdrew to lonely, forsaken uninhabited places; sometimes prayer can be lonely.
If Jesus, who was both God and man needed to do this, how much more will prayer help us live well? Personal prayer should be just that: personal. This is an opportunity to let God work in us within the secret places. It’s important to pray privately so that we can draw fresh strength from our source and course-correct.
3. Pay the Price.
We need to get clear about the things God is leading us in. Jesus stayed up all night on the mountain-top, praying for clarity about the selection of his disciples. If we want clarity, it’s going to cost us something. Jesus spent time he didn’t have getting clarity on the plans and details God had put inside of him. We are going to have to spend time and put in work to get clear on God’s purpose and plans for us. There will be some things that we will have to sacrifice so that we can get clarity. We’ve got to cancel some things, we’ve got to reorganize some things in order to get clarity. Let’s pray, paying the price so that we can be unified and have confidence in the things that God has called us to.
E.M. Bounds says prayer shapes the world. The kingdom of God is brought to earth through our prayers. John Wesley says prayer is where the action is. Oswald Chambers calls our prayers powerful. We turn our ear to Heaven and get more clarity on how to bring Heaven to earth. We need God’s kingdom of righteousness, joy, and peace on the earth now more than ever. We pray today for the Kingdom of Heaven to come to earth.
Reflection/Discussion Questions:
1. How is your prayer life? How would you like to see it grow?
2. How has the pandemic affected your prayer life, both personally and corporately?
3. How do you plan to engage in corporate prayer in this season?
4. What things will you be willing to sacrifice to make more time for private prayer?
5. How have you personally experienced the power of prayer in your life?