Have you ever taken a moment to consider why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray?
I think it is because they were taught prayers. Holy prayers, Real prayers like the Shema, but in the end, after so much time, they may have become ritual and rote.
On the other hand, they SAW Jesus pray. Surely they must have heard Him and experienced the result of Jesus’ prayers?
“We saw Him with our very own eyes.
We gazed upon Him and heard Him speak.
Our hands actually touched Him,
the one who was from the beginning,
the Living Expression of God.”
(1 John 1:1, TPT)
So… What did they see? What did they experience?
I think they saw Jesus being intimate with God, getting closer to God, spending time with God, and becoming aligned with God’s plans and purpose.
Jesus had Intimacy. Fellowship. Friendship…
Surely a description of parts of many of my worldly relationships, but is this the description of my relationship with God the Father? Am I living in the pure light of a relationship with Him (1 John 1:7) ?
Does that even start to describe my prayer life?
I frequently find myself speaking “at” God the things we need…
Father, I need you to… I would like you to intervene…. Please send someone to…
Here is my “To-Do” list for today’s prayers…. can you please handle that?
But that is not what Jesus taught His disciples. Sure, there is a time and a place to petition God, to ask, to beg, to lay at His feet. No Doubt about it, the bible is full of examples of the prayers and the answers to those prayers. But those ride on the back of our Relationship with the Father. and our Prayer Time build the relationship with the Father.
The Purpose of Christ was to open the door for us. To enable the rebuilding of a personal and intimate relationship with the Father!
“…Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world… ”
(1 John 2:2, TPT)
So, how do I then become intimate with God the Father? How do I rebuild the relationship? Luckily, not by being perfect (Moses, Abraham, David, etc) but by trying. To follow God’s Commands, like Jesus did, and walk in the footsteps of Jesus, following His examples in all things.
“…But the love of God will be perfected within the one who obeys God’s Word.
We can be sure that we’ve truly come to live in intimacy with God, not just by saying, “I am intimate with God,” but by walking in the footsteps of Jesus.”
(1 John 2:5-6, TPT)
”Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
(Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)
In this way, our prayers are not just lists of requests & Petitions or even just songs of praise, but God’s Will is aligned with our will (Not my will, but your will be done), so that when we ask something of God, or want to pray it into being, we are already aligned with God’s Purpose.
I am not sure where this comes from, but it is a good way to teach (and remember) how God answers prayer:
- No… Just… no.
- Slow. Slow down, you are going too fast. This will take time. Things need to happen and places need to be prepared.
- Grow. You have a lot of growing to do before I can give you that. Grow up.
- Go! You are right in line with My heart… Let’s go!
Why would God say No?
I believe God says “No” when our prayers align with worldly measures of success:
– Gratification
– Things
– Status
”Don’t set the affections of your heart on this world or in loving the things of the world. The love of the Father and the love of the world are incompatible. For all that the world can offer us—the gratification of our flesh, the allurement of the things of the world, and the obsession with status and importance — none of these things come from the Father* but from the world. ”
(1 John 2:15-16, TPT)
May your prayers bring you closer to God our Father, every single day!
