Many people think that the Bible is very clear on how Jesus prays. After all, we know that Jesus and His Father spoke frequently and Jesus told us that he came to do the will of His Father – a most important responsibility. So how does this tie in to prayer?
Of course, every believer knows that God’s plan included sending Jesus to earth as fully human yet also fully divine. He led a remarkable life – a sinless life – and eventually was crucified on a cross to atone for the sins of the entire world. This includes the sins of everyone – past, present and future…
We have biblical examples of Jesus calling His disciples, teaching in the temple, preaching in the countryside and upon the Sea of Galilee. We have sermons of Jesus telling His disciples how they should treat others as well as how they should treat one another. He teaches them about the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus even goes so far as to let them know that His time is coming and that He will be leaving them.
We experience Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and attending the Last Supper before he is arrested and condemned to die. We also know that there were many times that Jesus left his disciples and went off to pray by Himself. We even have a record of when He asked His disciples to stay awake while He went to commune with His Father and even then, the disciples found it impossible to honor His request.
We even have Jesus asking the Father to take this “cup” from Him if that is God’s will. Jesus even acknowledges that He is still there to do the will of His Father. Curiously, throughout the entire Bible, this is a very rare glimpse of how Jesus interacted with His Father.
Tonight’s verse comes early. That’s because it is central to the topic that we are studying. Matthew, the author of the first Gospel bearing his name, gives us insight as to what Jesus tells His disciples about prayer. He tells us, in Matthew 6:9-13, “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 forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen’”
This, as I am sure you realize, is the Lord’s Prayer. And believers turn to this passage of Scripture to learn how Jesus wants us to pray. But there is an important thing to notice at the beginning of the passage. Jesus doesn’t tell us how He prays, but rather, He tells us how WE should pray. That’s because Jesus is the only “begotten Son” or “natural Son” of God. We, on the other hand, are “adopted” sons and daughters. While we are co-heirs with Christ, and will rule with Him in eternity, there are still differences between us.
That sounds trite to say but it is the truth. Jesus has a special relationship with His Father that we will never know completely about. And that is fine.., We will end up in heaven with eternal life – never to be separated from Jesus. So the truth of the matter is that Jesus never really reveals in detail how He prays to His Father.
My encouragement this evening is that Jesus wants us to have a close relationship with Him and with His Father. That may be why He taught His disciples how to pray. My prayer is that we will continue to commune with God and His Son, with reverence and respect, realizing that the act of prayer and time with God is more important than the words that we use. It’s the posture of humility and respect that acknowledges the supremacy of God in our lives. Have a great day in the Lord, grace and peace..