"The Life of Jesus provides the model for
our prayer lives. God is seeking to mold us
into the image of His Son (Colossians 1:27-28).
If we are to act like Christ, our prayer lives
must be conformed to His. Many Christians are
unwilling to pay the price that Jesus paid when
it comes to interceding with God. Jesus' prayers
came with vehement cries and tears and, 'because
of his godly fear', He was heard by the Father."
Henry Blackaby
Jesus
was passionate! We saw it in the wonderful
film The Passion of the Christ. He was passionate
about the lost, He was passionate about life and
death, and He was passionate about prayer. We
are living in a time when passionate prayer, the
opposite of lukewarm or apathetic prayer, is needed
for every nation. And the prayers of Jesus were
heard because He left it all up to God. We may
not sweat drops of blood when we pray, but we
do know that sometimes prayer requires a wrestling
in the Spirit with passion and fervency. Jesus
never gave up, and He doesn't want us to give
up in prayer. He says in Luke 18:1 that we should
always pray and not give up.
"During
the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered
up prayer and petitions with loud cries and
tears to the one who could save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverent submission."
(Hebrews 5:7)
Jesus
Models a Lifestyle of Prayer
Jesus
prayed often. Mark 1:35 says, "Very
early in the morning, while it was still dark,
Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a
solitary place, where he prayed." Jesus
prayed in the desert and other lonely places (Luke
5:16), and he often prayed all night long (Luke
6:12). His prayers were with such intensity of
focus that, at times, He even sweat great drops
of blood when He prayed (Luke 22:44). And today
He is still praying for us. I say this to encourage
you, because many of you are deciding to increase
the level of prayer in your own life. Others of
you are trying to develop a greater prayer focus
in your church or ministry and are running into
opposition called spiritual warfare. The enemy
will try to stop prayer any way he can, because
he fears the prayer movement that is increasing
all over the world. I have felt the intensity
of warfare myself. Don't give up or let the enemy
discourage you. Things will happen as you persevere.
God delights in your prayers! Prayer is the most
important thing you can do, because after you
have prayed, the fruit will come. When you plant
seeds of prayer, they must grow. And when you
pray God's Word over your life, ministry, family
neighborhood, city, etc., His Word will not return
void.
Why did Jesus
pray so passionately? He knew that His authority
and message came through prayer and by connecting
with the Father in the power of the Spirit. Jesus
always knew when He should withdraw and pray.
He never became distracted by the work, because
He always knew that power for the work came from
God. More prayer equals more help and more blessing.
Prayer was Jesus' continual lifestyle and practice.
He prayed passionately for Himself and for other
as he walked this earth. And, no matter what our
calling is in life, He is bringing us into a deeper,
a more passionate, and a more intimate prayer
life because He wants us to walk in a new level
of power and authority, thereby defeating the
enemy.
"Throughout
history God has looked for those willing to
yield everything to Him and His desire to redeem
a world. At times God has marveled that no one
was willing to go with Him (Isaiah 63:5, 59:16).
The prophets seemed to grasp more than the common
people, for while society carried on as though
nothing were wrong, the prophets agonized and
wept over what they knew God was preparing to
do. God is calling you to go deeper in your
prayer life with Him. If you are willing to
be the person Jesus can take with Him into the
most sacred moments, you will experience things
only the angels shared with Jesus in the garden
that night." Henry Blackaby
The
Prayers of Jesus
"Jesus…
went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying,
the appearance of his face changed, and his
clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning"
(Luke 9:28-29). "And as he was praying,
heaven was opened." (Luke 3:21)
- The
Lord's Prayer - "This, then is how
you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed
be your name, your kingdom come, your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today
our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we
also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us from the
evil one.'" (Matthew 6:9-13)
- Glorify
Your Name - "Now my heart is troubled,
and what shall I say? 'Father, save me from
this hour? No, it was for this very reason I
came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!'
Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified
it, and will glorify it again.'" (John
12:27-28)
-
Glorify Your Son - "After Jesus
said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
'Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son,
that your Son may glorify you. For you granted
him authority over all people that he might
give eternal life to all those you have given
him… and now, Father, glorify me in your
presence with the glory I had with you before
the world began.'" (John 17:1-5)
- A
Prayer for Believers
- "…I will remain in the world
no longer, but they are still in the world,
and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect
them by the power of your name - the name you
gave me - so that they may be one as we are
one…" (John 17:6-19)
- A
Prayer for Unity and Love - "My
prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for
those who will believe in me through their message,
that all of them may be one, Father, just as
you are in me and I am in you. May they also
be in us so that the world may believe that
you have sent me…" (John 17:20-26)
- A
Prayer for God's Will to Be Done - "Going
a little farther, he fell with his face to the
ground and prayed, 'My Father, if it is possible,
may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I
will, but as you will.'" (Matthew 26:39-42,
Luke 22:44)
- Father
Forgive Them - "Jesus said, 'Father
forgive them, for they do not know what they
are doing.' And they divided up his clothes
by casting lots." (Luke 23:33-34, 46)
Jesus'
Passion Is That We Would Pray
When
you have made it your aim to grow in prayer, you
have chosen a noble passion. When you have
made it your goal to see prayer mobilized in your
church or ministry, you have chosen a wise ambition.
When you call upon God to teach you to pray as
Jesus and His disciples did, you are praying a
wonderful prayer. Again, remember that the passion
of Jesus is that we would pray always and never
faint. In our travels to various nations, we are
seeing increased desire to pray and to pray effectively,
a passion in prayer such as we have never before
imagined. The pursuit for prayer is not just an
individual pursuit but churches, ministries and
cities are seeking God on a wider scale. Truly
this is the end-times Church arising to her destiny.
And more prayer brings more glory to God.
"I
want to encourage you to embrace a life of extravagant
devotion to God, without any regard to cost.
I want to encourage it not only because you
will have the greatest reward you can have at
the end of your life, but because you will fulfill
your destiny in God, and just because it is
an incredibly enjoyable way to live." Mike
Bickle
Training
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