If you want to know about prayer, examine the life of Jesus: (1) He prayed when the pressures of life increased. “News about him spread…so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed…But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (vv.15-16 NIV).
It’s when you think you don’t have time to pray that you need to pray most. Spending time with God is the secret to having power with Him. (2) He prayed when important decisions had to be made. When it came to picking His closest friends, Jesus sought His Father’s guidance. He “went out to a mountainside…and spent the night praying to God.
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve…[as] apostles” (Luke 6:12-13 NIV). When you really think about it, the truth hits you up the side of the head! We can spend a year, not to mention a small fortune, planning a wedding. Yet amazingly we won’t seek God’s guidance when it comes to choosing a mate to spend the rest of our life with.
God is not just the creator of the universe; He’s the CEO who runs it. Can you imagine what He knows about operating a successful business? His résumé reads: “I am the Lord…who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go” (Isaiah 48:17 NKJV).
Before you hire an employee, form a partnership, formulate a plan, or invest a penny, God invites you to discuss it with Him and get His input. “Listen for God’s voice in everything you do…he’s the one who will keep you on track” (Proverbs 3:6 TM).
When Jesus Prayed (1)
“Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16 NIV
July 26, 2017 • Bob Gass
Spend Time Alone With God
July 31, 2017 • Bob Gass
God can speak to you anytime, anywhere, through anybody, by dropping a thought into your mind (see 1 Corinthians 2:16). But because that thought can be crowded out by busyness, He says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” In stillness you can hear God more clearly. “Jesus used many…illustrations to teach the people as much as they could understand…but afterward, when he was alone with his disciples, he explained everything to them” (Mark 4:33-34 NLT). In High Call, High Privilege, Gail MacDonald wrote, “The ancient desert fathers used to commit themselves to a disciplinary creed: silence, solitude, and inner peace. Only after adequate amounts of time listening, did they consider themselves ready to speak…Today there’s a strange logic that spiritual resource and renewal are found in constantly seeking new voices, attending more meetings…to exchange half-thought-out opinions… We fall into the trap of believing God is most pleased when we’ve maximized our information, our schedules, and our relationships. Disengagement means silence before God…a time of heavenly discussion during which we listen more than we speak. And silence demands solitude.” In waiting quietly before God, your spiritual ear is trained to know His voice. Sylvia Gunter wrote, “I understand why David had to command his soul to be still…Being quiet is difficult…almost impossible for some of us. But I’ve discovered that my soul and spirit have been starving for stillness for a long time, and now that I’ve given my soul a taste of stillness again it will not be satisfied unless it’s a regular part of my day.”
When Jesus Prayed (5)
July 30, 2017 • Bob Gass
(6) Jesus prayed before He faced the greatest crisis in His life. The Bible says, “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place…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…and strengthened him” (vv. 39-43 NIV). Jesus didn’t wait until the hour of His greatest crisis before He prayed. For three-and-a-half years during His earthly ministry, He had built a life of prayer. Before He raised Lazarus from the dead, “Jesus looked up and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me…that you always hear me’” (John 11:41-42 NIV). Jesus had such an intimate relationship with His Father that in times of pressure and pain He could go to God, confident He would receive His sustaining grace. Can you do that? Until you do, you’ll be vulnerable to people and situations beyond your control. Consider this question: do you think Jesus prayed so much because He wanted to or because He thought He should? The answer is—He wanted to! And if you want to follow in His footsteps and enjoy God’s richest blessings, you need to move from “should” to “want to.” Here’s a truth that people who pray know: the less you pray, the less you want to pray. And the more you pray, the more you want to pray. The power behind Christ’s amazing success in life was the power of prayer. Starting now, commit to praying each day.
When Jesus Prayed (4)
July 29, 2017 • Bob Gass
(5) Jesus prayed when He was concerned about the people He loved. He told Peter, “Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you…that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” And Peter did turn back. The disciple who denied his Lord in a moment of weakness eventually stood before a crowd of thousands and preached the gospel to them, and three thousand were won to Christ. Jesus not only taught His disciples, He warned them of danger. But ultimately He realized that the greatest thing He could do was pray for them. Unfortunately, that’s a truth we tend to arrive at later rather than sooner. We promise, we rescue, we threaten, and only when all our other efforts have failed do we pray. Prayer shouldn’t be your last resort, it should be your first response. Prayer takes the situation out of your hands and puts it into God’s. Do you remember the four men who carried their sick friend and laid him at the feet of Jesus? (see Mark 2:3-5). That’s what you do when you pray for someone. It’s not easy to pick up the weight of another person and carry them to God each day in prayer. But it’s the most effective thing you can do for them. The old-timers used to say, “Prayer moves the hand that moves the world.” And they were right! When a loved one disappoints or wounds you, instead of lashing out, lift them up in prayer. Invite God into the situation, then stand back and allow Him to work.