Spring Warrior Church of Christ

7432 S. Red Padgett Road

Perry, FL 32348
584-5176

WHAT wOULD JESUS dO? No. 6

JESUS WOULD PRAY By Bill Blue

Most Americans regardless of faith would probably agree that people,

even faithful Christians, do not pray enough. It comes as no surprise that
unfaithful believers do not pray often enough, but why not faithful
Christians? Perhaps the reasons why some Christians have poor prayer
habits include material wealth and success, the influence of an ungodly
culture, worldly values, and the lack of belief that God answers prayers.
Perhaps tragedies and injustices in our daily lives convince some that God
doesn’t care for our present needs. In the United States political-correctness
has successfully banned God from schools and the workplace; God is out of
sight and out of mind until the next worship service and as a result, godly
people are out of practice, and have simply forgotten the importance of
prayer. What would Jesus do? Jesus would pray.

Jesus had a habit of praying (Luke 5:16). We should have the same
habit (1 Thess. 5:17).

Jesus would pray at any time of the day or night (Luke 6:12).
Prayer was a priority for Christ. Jesus would even on occasion rise long
before daylight to pray (Mark 1:35). In other words, Jesus planned for
opportunities to pray.

Jesus would pray anywhere. Jesus prayed in the wilderness (Luke

5:16), on mountains (Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:28), and at Gethsemane
(Mark 14:32). In other words, Jesus took advantage of His opportunities to
pray.

Jesus prayed long prayers (Luke 6:12) and short prayers (Luke
11:1-3). Our prayers to God have no required length as long as our prayer is
humble and sincere (Matthew 6:5-7, Matthew 23:14, Mark 12:40, Luke 18:10-
14, Luke 20:46-47). Regardless of length, Jesus prayed earnestly, knowing
that the Creator of all things was listening (Luke 22:44).
 Jesus would pray at many different occasions. Jesus prayed
when He was baptized and began His ministry (Luke 3:21), before He
selected twelve disciples to be His Apostles (Luke 6:12-13), at His
transfiguration (Luke 9:28-32), before instituting the Lord’s Supper (Matthew
26:26) and at His moments of greatest need (John 17:1; Luke 22:44).

Jesus would pray privately, in small groups and publicly. At

times, Jesus sought opportunities to pray alone to God (Matthew 14:23, Mark
1:35, Luke 5:16, Luke 9:18, Luke 22:41). At times, He even asked the
disciples to stay behind, or sent them away, so He could pray alone (Matthew
26:36; Mark 6:46). On other occasions, He took disciples with Him to pray
(Luke 9:28).

Jesus prayed for many different people:

• Himself (John 17:1);
• The Apostles (John 14:16, John 17:6-15);
• All believers (John 17:20);
• His enemies (Luke 6:28); and
• The entire world (Matthew 5:44).

Jesus prayed for many different things, such as:

• God’s work (Matthew 9:38, Luke 10:2) and God’s will be done
(Matthew 26:39, 42);
• Children be blessed (Matthew 19:13);
• Believers be strengthened and be able to strengthen others (Luke
22:32);

Jesus tells us how to pray. “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our
Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name [in other words, honor God and
acknowledge His authority] Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth
as it is in heaven [we accept God’s will] Give us our daily bread [help us with
our necessities of life – not material excess] And forgive us our sins [help us
with our truly important problems, like avoiding hell] For we also forgive
everyone who is indebted to us [we acknowledge God’s word on mercy and
forgiveness (Matt. 6:14-15; Mark 11:25), thus we conform to His will] And do
not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one [again we focus
on our true needs, spiritual in nature]” (Luke 11:1-4; Luke 22:40).

Jesus would pray for the right reasons. Jesus would not forget
that God is a prayer’s target audience, not others listening to His prayer.
Jesus would pray to enlist God’s help, not men’s attention (Matthew 6:5-7,
Matthew 23:14, Mark 12:40, Luke 20:47).
 Jesus tells us the benefits of prayer. Prayer strengthens our faith
(Luke 18:1), and helps keep us from sin (Matthew 26:41, Mark 13:33, Mark
14:38, Luke 22:46).

Jesus would pray with faith, not doubting whether God would
answer His prayer (Matthew 21:22, Matthew 26:53, Mark 11:24, Luke
18:1).

Jesus understood that some things happen only through

prayer. In Mark 9:29, Jesus said to His disciples that, “This kind [of demon]
can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” We do not have demon
possession today, but the point is still valid. When Jesus Himself had no
place else to turn, He “fell on the ground, and prayed that if it were possible,
the hour might pass from Him” (Mark 14:35).

Do you pray as you should? Do you plan and find time to pray? Do
you take advantage of opportunities to pray? Are your prayers humble and
reverent? Do you pray for others? When times are good do you neglect
prayer? Talk to your Father. In times of need do you hesitate to ask your
Father for help because you failed to pray when times were good? Ask your
Father for help. Jesus would.

This article is reprinted online at http://www.bibleweb.com.