Recently, Billy and I attended the Puget Sound Baptist Association Leadership Conference and Annual Meeting. There were the usual things to cover at a meeting like this. The Executive Director gave a report. Ministry teams also gave reports. New leaders for the coming year were announced, and the new budget was decided. But in the middle of the order of events, a representative from the International Mission Board came up to encourage us and remind us the importance of prayer. In his statement, he said American evangelical churches have lost the doctrine of prayer and the practice of prayer. To say the least, what the representative said convicted me and cut me to the heart. Somewhere before I have said that one of the most important parts of my work as a pastor is to teach you how to pray, but I am ashamed how little prayer takes up my own life. I pray, but I am not satisfied how much I pray on a daily basis. I pray every Wednesday night at the weekly prayer meetings, but that is only one out of 168 hours in a week.
When I think of prayer, there is one thing I think about more often than anything else – Jesus devoted much of his time here on earth to prayer. If Jesus were God’s Son, and I do believe he was, then why did he pray? I cannot speak for you, but if I am honest, I expected him to have no need to pray. This feels most unnatural to me. I sort of expected to see it say in the Bible he did not pray at all. But that is not what I find in the Bible. Jesus prayed to the Father, a lot. How can this be? It says in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus often withdrew to places of solitude, and prayed. He prayed when he was baptized. He prayed when he fed the 5,000 and the 4,000 people. He prayed at the transfiguration. He spent the whole night praying before he chose his disciples. He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest. He prayed as he hung on the cross. He asked for the Father to forgive the ones who were putting him to death.
For reasons I don’t know exactly why, I especially enjoy reading in the Bible the times when Jesus prayed, and there were people next to him listening to him pray. I would have loved to be there. One of those times came when Jesus prayed at Lazarus’ tomb. “Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.’” I love it.
Jesus prayed while he was here on earth. But I never want you to think that Jesus prayed only while he was here on earth. As we speak, Jesus continues to pray for us as he is seated at the right hand of God in heaven. Can you believe it? Jesus makes intercession for those who belong to him. He continues to pray to the Father on our behalf, and yet I don’t pray very much.
Romans 8:34b
Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
Hebrews 7:25
Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
Are you someone who prays without ceasing? Are you someone really satisfied with your prayer life? If you are like me, you wish for your prayer life to improve. There are many reasons I can think why I struggle to pray. I don’t pray because praying does not interest me. I don’t pray because I sometimes feel God is not there. I don’t pray because I am too busy. I don’t pray because I am too tired. I begin to pray, but I fall asleep. I don’t pray because I am lazy. I’d rather sit in our sofa and watch television. But it all comes down to this. I believe the real reason why I don’t pray is because deep down inside, I don’t believe it makes a difference. I don’t believe my prayers really do matter. This is an incredible statement considering that our Lord Jesus Christ certainly did not think this way.
Jesus prayed. He prayed in public and in private. He prayed in times of great joy, but he also prayed in times of persecution, mocking, heartache, and suffering. He prayed for himself, but he also prayed for others. He prayed prayers to give thanks, but also to petition for something. Some of his prayers were long. Others were shorter. One of his shortest prayer came in the Gospel of John, when he prayed, “Father, glorify your name!” No matter what is the situation, the important thing for us to take notice is that Jesus prayed. Here was someone who understood the importance of prayer. Although being God, he made prayer a priority in his life. Jesus prayed. If Jesus found it necessary to pray to the Father without ceasing, how much more do we? It is time for you and me to reclaim the doctrine of prayer and the practice of prayer.