5 Lessons About Prayer from Jesus
Matthew 26:39, "Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell on his face to the ground and prayed...."
There are all kinds of great lessons about prayer in this short exert from Jesus' life. I firmly believe there are not right and wrong ways (in terms of method) to pray. Lots of different styles have worked well for me. I think the key is that we DO pray. And I find that takes a lot more energy and focus than I like to admit. Here are a few that jump out at me from this passage that have encouraged me in the last few days.
There are all kinds of great lessons about prayer in this short exert from Jesus' life. I firmly believe there are not right and wrong ways (in terms of method) to pray. Lots of different styles have worked well for me. I think the key is that we DO pray. And I find that takes a lot more energy and focus than I like to admit. Here are a few that jump out at me from this passage that have encouraged me in the last few days.
- He withdrew from people and went off by himself. I'll be elaborating on this during my sermon on Sunday, but getting off by ourselves with God is powerful. Here Jesus withdraws even from his three closest friends. Solitary prayer is needed in the midst of trial. Family prayer, church prayer, small group prayer... each of these is really important and wonderful, but none is a substitute for personal, private prayer.
- It was a humble prayer. He "fell with his face on the ground". While there is a place for boldness in prayer, the boldness is based on God's goodness, not on our worthiness. Humility is a great ground for prayer.
- It was a personal prayer. Jesus starts with, "My Father". He knows God the Father intimately. It's not the first time they've talked. Probably not the first time they talked that day. And so he (Jesus) appeals to a father's love with confidence.
- It was a persistent prayer. He prayed it three times (see vs 44). It reminds me of the parable of the persistent widow. Here Jesus is practicing what he preached.
- It was a surrendering prayer. Jesus has an agenda "take this cup from me" but he also knows that God the Father might have other plans so he indicates that ultimately he wants what's best, not necessarily what is easier. This can correct two errors at once. First the temptation to never ask for anything specific pretending we really don't care or have an opinion. God knows better and one of the purposes of prayer is to get it out. It also corrects the mistaken idea that if we just plead our case enough God will ultimately relent and give us whatever we want. We know that God ultimately said "no" to this request Jesus makes.
