There was a time in my life when prayer was just a thing I did at certain times. I prayed over my food (if I thought about it). I prayed before big tests. I prayed before going out on the battlefield. Prayer was one of those things that I knew I should do as a Christian, something like tithing. Then I read where God said:

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

1 Prayer Is Not To Be A Sometimes Thing, But A Way Of Life For The Christ Follower. You don’t sometimes breath, and you don’t sometimes pray. If you stop breathing for just a little while your physical body gets weak. If you stop praying or make prayer less than a priority in your spiritual walk then you will get weak spiritually.

Those who bring trouble into the House of God do not make prayer a priority.

1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; [13] And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

The Church that fights is the Church that has abandoned prayer. As we pray we are reminded who is God and who is NOT. We are reminded in our prayers that we are not the center of the universe, but God is. When we pray we are reminded of our sinful tendencies, and our hearts are softened.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. [15] See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

If you have little prayer, you will have little joy. You cannot …

1 Thessalonians 5:16 Rejoice evermore.

If you do not …

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Prayer reminds us of why we should be thankful. A cold and bitter outlook on life occurs when we do not pray. The Bible says:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

How can you do that without prayer?

It is God’s will that we give thanks to God for EVERYTHING.

Everything. EVERYTHING!

We are to thank Him for the cancer. We are to thank Him for the Alzheimer’s. We are to thank Him when loved ones go to glory. We are to thank Him for the aches, the pains, the heat, the things that are there but are not pleasant. As we pray God speaks to our spirits, showing us His Will even in the midst of the trials of life.

In our Training Union classes we have been discovering Biblical and practical truths about the Holy Spirit. Did you know that you can GRIEVE THE SPIRIT BY SINNING?

Ephesians 4:26-32 (ESV) Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

You can grieve the Spirit by willful sinning and you can quench the Spirit by failing to pray.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.

When you fail to pray, the Holy Spirit will not guide you into understanding the Holy Scripture. This is His duty, His commitment to the Lord. Jesus said

When He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth (John 16:13)

Father sanctify them through the Truth. Thy Word is Truth (John 17:17)

When our Lord Jesus went to the Jordan to “fulfill all righteousness in baptism” the Bible says that He was led of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the Devil (Matthew 4:1). No matter what the devil threw at Jesus our Lord replied in the Power of the Spirit:

It is written …

Jesus prayed. Though God Almighty in human form He prayed. Jesus prayed without ceasing. Jesus made prayer a priority. He prayed unashamedly and constantly. The Bible says that …

Luke 11:1 (KJV) And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

2 Lord, Teach Us To Pray! What can we learn about prayer from the life of Christ?

a For Jesus, Prayer Was Deliberate And Intentional. The Bible says:

Mark 1:35 (KJV) And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

He made an appointment at the beginning of His day to pray. Jesus made prayer a priority. I know we all live busy lives, and lots of things tug at us. Whether going to school or work, Church or home, it seems like there’s never enough time. I ran across this little poem – I don’t know who wrote it, but it says it all!

I got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I didn’t have time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,
and heavier came each task.
“Why doesn’t God help me?” I wondered.
He answered, “You didn’t ask.”

I wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn’t show me.
He said, “But you didn’t seek.”

I tried to come into God’s presence;
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
“My child, you didn’t knock.”

I woke up early this morning,
and paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I had to take time to pray.

Jesus Christ of Whom the Scripture says (John 1:3) “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” – this same Jesus started His day by prayer. We need to do the same.

b Jesus Prayed In Times Of Busyness, Exhaustion And Depletion. Sometimes we use busyness (not business, but busyness) to explain why we cannot pray like we ought to do. I want you to see a “normal” day in the life of Jesus.

Luke 5:12-14 (ESV) While {Jesus} was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” 13 And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. 14 And he charged him to tell no one, but “go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them.”

Jesus was wore out from healing people. Everywhere He went people accosted Him saying, “Lord, heal me!”. And Jesus loved people, so He wanted to heal. But even the Son of God has a breaking point. When He heals the leper He tells him, “Don’t spread this around. Go to the priest as the Law requires, but say nothing of this”. Why? Because the Scripture tells us only God can heal leprosy (see Leviticus 14). The healing of leprosy was a God thing. Jesus healed the leper, thus Jesus is GOD! So he tells this person “Don’t tell anyone I did this”. And what did the leper do? He told EVERYONE. And what does the Bible say?

Luke 5:15 (ESV) But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.

There’s an old saying “No good deed goes unpunished”. That’s what happened. Jesus did good, and MORE people came to Him. How did the Lord handle this?

Luke 5:16 But (Jesus) would withdraw to desolate (solitary) places and pray.

Jesus teaches us that there are times we need to just put the world on “pause” and pray. Turn off the cell phone. Send the kids to their bedroom and lock the door. Go to a place where no one can get to you and PRAY.

• If Moses had prayed when He stood in front of the Rock at Kadesh he wouldn’t have struck the Rock, dishonoring God and losing his place in the Promised Land.
• If Elijah had prayed when Jezebel threatened his life, he wouldn’t have become depressed and unable to continue as God’s Great Prophet.
• If Samson had prayed when he met Delilah he wouldn’t have been bound with chains and with a bad haircut in Philistia.
• If Peter had prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane with Jesus he wouldn’t have cursed God and lied in front of a milk maiden.

c Jesus Prayed Before Choosing Who He Would Work With. Jesus knew that He was going to establish the Kingdom of God on earth, and He wanted twelve men to fill this position (though one was to be a betrayer). The Bible says:

Luke 6:12-13 And it came to pass in those days, that {Jesus} went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. [13] And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

Jesus prayed at all times – but prayed intensely before making life altering decisions. He continued all night in prayer before choosing His Apostles. But what about Judas Iscariot? Was he a bad choice? No. Jesus knew that Judas was “a devil” …

John 6:70 … Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?

Judas was chosen because prophecy demanded it (see Psalm 41:9; Matthew 26:14, 48-49; Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 27:3-5). Nothing surprised Jesus because Jesus Christ prayed and stayed in communion with the Father and the Spirit.

d Jesus Prayed When Confronted By Seemingly Impossible Situations. His friend Lazarus was dead. Jesus asked the crowd to roll the stone of his tomb away. Then Jesus prayed:

John 11:41-44 (ESV) … So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.” 43 When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” 44 The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Jesus prayed. He prayed not because He couldn’t raise up Lazarus, but prayed so that the people knew that it was of the Father that He did this. Jesus prayed when facing what others would consider impossible situations. He prayed in Gethsemane, just before He surrendered to the Cross of our salvation.

Matthew 26:36-46 (ESV) Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

How hard it must have been for Jesus! He came to this earth to go to the Cross for us. He knew what was necessary. Yet as He prayed, He knew that He would have to go to the Cross. He knew that was the only way that our sins could be covered. And yet He prayed “Father, if it is possible, let this Cup pass from Me – nevertheless not My Will but Your Will be done!” Three times He prayed this in the darkness of that night. His soul was heavy. He knew what was coming. But He Tread the winepress alone! He gave Himself for us. And I believe it was the three prayers that gave Him the courage to go forward and do the unthinkable.

The sinless would bear the sins of the world.
The Almighty would be cast down into the pit of evil.
But He would rise triumphant!

Beaten, bruised, His flesh torn from His precious back and His beard from His face, Christ looked Heavenward. Naked and nailed on that Tree I suspect every angel in Heaven waited for the Father to say “Go get My Son”. Had He done so the oceans of our world would have run with blood in an instant, the Rivers of every land as bloody as the Nile in Moses’ day. If the Father had released Heaven’s Hosts the earth would become desolate. Yet the foolish crowd mocked:

If You be the Son of God, save Yourself!

Suffering and naked the guards who drove the nails into His hands and feet cast lots for His clothing. What did Jesus do?

He prayed.

Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

When He said “I thirst” they put a sponge filled with vinegar in His torn mouth.

He prayed.

When God seemed far away from His Son, Jesus prayed.

Matthew 27:46 My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

and as Jesus ended His life on the Cross (for no man took it, but He laid it down willingly for us) Jesus prayed:

Luke 23:46 Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit.

Our Lord prayed. He spoke His heart to the Father, which is what God expects of us. We are to pray in the good times, and pray in the bad. We are to pray, for prayer connects us to our High Priest (Jesus), our Comforter (the Holy Spirit), and our Father in Heaven. We are to pray. Prayer connects us with power that cannot be denied. Pray! Pray! Make prayer a priority in your lives.

If Jesus did, we must do so as well!

3 Jesus’ Model Prayer Has Five Smooth Stones. Some Churches pray the Lord’s Prayer every Sunday. There’s nothing wrong with doing this, but the model that Jesus gave us was to be personalized. The model states:

Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. [10] Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. [13] And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Jesus taught us to pray honoring the Father. This is the start and end of the model.
Jesus taught us to pray that His Kingdom come to this earth.
Jesus taught us to pray for our daily sustenance.
Jesus taught us to pray for forgiveness while forgiving others.
Jesus taught us to pray against evil and Satan.

Every God honored prayer has these five elements present – and five is the number of Grace. The Shepherd David put five smooth stones in his pouch before going out to fight Goliath. You need these five smooth stones in your prayer. Honor the Father. Pray that His Kingdom be established on this earth. Look to God for your sustenance. Forgive as you seek forgiveness. Pray against the darkness.

And your Goliaths will be defeated through Him Who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think! May God touch your hearts with His Word.