Prayer: Teach Us (Part 2)

I travelled Western Kansas for several years and logged many miles as a technical sales representative for a hydraulic and pneumatic distributor and manufacturer. In this position I was privileged to call on a wide range of manufacturing companies from business jets to agricultural machinery to construction equipment to beef and pork packing plants. In the process I worked with providing engineering, ideas, and merchandise to service and enhance new and inventive goods and apparatuses.

These creative new products had a specific thing in common: someone had identified a need for them and took it upon themselves to solve an existing problem with a new machine. Whereupon a neighbor or competitor or someone in a similar occupation would see it in action and ask, “Where did you get that?” To which our inventor would reply, “I made it myself.” The next question always followed: “Can you make one for me?” As a direct result, several manufacturing plants were constructed over time to supply these devices to others who saw with their own eyes the value of the inventions.

The First Lesson from Jesus
The disciples in verse one asked the same question of Jesus that led to a great deal of industrialization in Western Kansas: “Can you make one for me?” Understand that these men had just witnessed Jesus praying and realized this habit of His was desirable for them, too. They had seen this same behavior before.
And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. (Mark 1:35, ESV)
But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray. (Luke 5:16, ESV)
Then they witnessed the authority He possessed that came from this communion. His example whetted their spiritual appetites and challenged their faith concerning what was possible in prayer. The gifts and graces of Jesus Christ should excite all of us to earnestly covet them, also. Our first lesson is His example.

The Second Lesson from Jesus
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew 5:6-8)
Jesus now tells us what He had modeled for us many times.
1. Get alone with God. Go to your sanctuary, be it your room, your mountain, your beach, or your backyard. Go where distractions cannot interfere with the consistent, forceful signals streaming from the throne room of the Almighty. Leave your phone behind and place these precious moments at the top of your priority list for a while.
2. Sense the Father’s reward. Know the peace of realigning your lifeline to Heaven every day. Take hold of Him who is ever alive making intercession for you.[1] Nourish your spirit in this enriching connection to the Vine.[2]
3. Do not worry about the words. Communication is two-way. Do not just talk, but listen carefully to understand, also. It will not be your vocabulary that impresses the Father because we do not even know all the things we should pray.[3] Besides, the Father already knows every need we have, even those we forget to ask for. He unites us with the Holy Spirit who dwells in us,[4] and ensures all things work out well.[5]

The Third Lesson from Jesus
Jesus keeps things in their most primary form. He gives us a simple pattern that focuses on relationship and priority: “The Lord’s Prayer.”
“Our Father”
Prayer begins with relationships not with what we want and what we will. It starts by acknowledging who God is and reminds us with the word “our” that we are a part of a much larger company: the Body and Bride of Christ.
“Your Kingdom and Your Will”
There is coming a day we should all long for deep within our souls: the permanent establishment of the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. And so, we beseech Him, “Come, Lord Jesus!”[6] Until that momentous day, we ask that His will be done in our lives as it is done in Heaven: without debate, without doubt, and without delay.
“Daily Bread”
This expresses our focus on the immediate and leaves the future in the capable hands of God. We here admit our need for physical, soulish, and spiritual nurture each day. We exercise our faith ascribing to God that He has always been and always will be faithful.
“Forgive Us”
This important acknowledgement of our own imperfections comes with a caveat that we absolve others who have demonstrated their shortcomings to us. Forgiveness must not stop with us but flow lovingly through us covering a multitude of sin.[7]
“Lead Us”
The Lord is our Good Shepherd and as such He directs us into pleasant places and sustains us in the darkest valleys.[8] Additionally, He has sent the Holy Spirit to live in us as our compass to negotiate even the rockiest pathways.[9] We concede our complete reliance on His oversight.

The Great Lesson from Jesus
The great lesson we learn about prayer from the example and the word of Jesus is this: faith is not a formula used to produce parsimonious outcomes. Faith is an inestimable relationship with God to be cherished and meticulously maintained as we pray. Prayer is not your attempt to get God's attention, or to be closer to Him. The Holy Spirit is with you and dwelling in you always producing in you the desire to align with the Father's will for your life and to maintain that healthy connection to Jesus Christ, the Vine, you already have. Go alone to your secret place and there surrender the moments you have devoted to Him, to His will, and His purpose.

[1] Hebrews 7:25 [2] John 15:5 [3] Romans 8:26 [4] 2 Timothy 1:14 [5] Romans 8:27-28 [6] Revelation 22:20 [7] 1 Peter 2:8 [8] Psalms 23:1-4 [9] John 16:7