“Praying always with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance
and supplication for all the saints.”—Ephesians 6:18
Jesus taught His disciples on this
earth for a little over three years, and what they learned from Him they taught
the early Church disciples. The apostles
were all Jewish men so that means they were taught about the tenets, principles and religious laws of Judaism
and emphasized the Torah. They were men
who knew how to pray; and yet, they saw something so different in their prayers
and Jesus’ that they asked Him to teach them to pray, “Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He
ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John
also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). The
following verses details what Jesus taught (Luke 11:2-4), and is commonly knows
as the “Lord’s Prayer.” “So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.’”
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.’”
Dr. T.L. Osborn, writes in his book, The Message that
Works, “That pagans pray and cry; they scream and pound their chests. They contend against evil spirits which they believe
they must chase away by offering blood sacrifices, by lengthy incantations, by
drums, dancing and noise, and by the intervention of mediating witchdoctors
engaged to officiate at rituals.” What a
marked contrast we see in the characteristics
of praying in Acts 4:23-31. “And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the
chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they
heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: ‘Lord, You
are God, who made heaven and
earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who
by the mouth of Your servant David have said:
Why did
the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.
And the people plot vain things?
The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.
For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both
Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were
gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your
purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord,
look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they
may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand
to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy
Servant Jesus.’ And when they had
prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were
all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
Here we see that the Apostles had taught the
early Christians three important characteristic
of prayer :
To understand God’s bigness, And being let go, they went to their own
companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to
them. So when they heard that they
raised their voices to God with one accord and said, ‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that
is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant have said. (v. 23-24 emphasis added).
To identify
scripturally in prayer. “Who by the mouth of Your servant David have
said: Why
did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of
the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.” Prayer based upon Scriptural truth and in faith will always receive the answer—prayer based on unfounded wishes and desires will not see any results.
And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.” Prayer based upon Scriptural truth and in faith will always receive the answer—prayer based on unfounded wishes and desires will not see any results.
Another
important characteristic is: Concern for connecting people with
God. “Now Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with
all boldness they may speak Your word., by stretching out Your hand to heal,
and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant
Jesus.” We are to use all manner of
prayer and to pray at all times for the saints of God. When we pray in behalf of someone else, we
are praying in Christ’s stead—connecting
people with God.
Prayer—Father
I thank You for teaching your body how to pray.
I ask You to open my spiritual eyes and ears to see and hear how Jesus’
prayed and when I follow His example I will have His results, in Jesus
Name. Amen.
