WHY PRAY?

Jesus prayed to God, the Father, many times.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Philippians 4:6
 
Pray fervently James 5:16, without ceasing ​1 Thessalonians 5:16-28, and, as Jesus said in Matthew 21:22, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
 
If we ask, believing, we shall receive. It doesn’t say maybe we will receive. It says we will receive. We have to begin to listen to God’s Word, and hear it, take it to heart as if it is alive, take the words as if they have real meaning in our lives, because it is alive, and they do have real meaning in our lives! Amen.
 
And, if you do not receive an answer from God right away, keep praying, fervently, without ceasing, until you do receive, in God’s Time, and His Will: 1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” Amen.
 
Again, it doesn’t say maybe He will hear us. It says, He hears us! So, keep praying until it is His Will. Amen.
 
Many people, myself included, pray for something once, like it’s a chore, and then feel like, good, that’s out of the way, it’s in God’s hands now. No, we must pray fervently and without ceasing, until our prayers are answered. . . if we want them answered.
 
One of the greatest eye-openers for me about prayer was when I realized that, in Jesus’ short time on earth, He prayed to God, the Father, many times. I read an article that said, I think, He prayed over 650 times, and over 450 of those prayers were answered while He was on earth. And, that is just what we know about, that which is written about in the Bible. All of the acts of Jesus are not written about in the Bible.
 
I mean, wow. Jesus prayed to God. We should too.
 
Let’s look at some scripture about Jesus praying:

Matthew 14:23 "After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was there alone.”

Luke 5:16 "But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray [in seclusion]."

Luke 22:44 "And being in agony [deeply distressed and anguished; almost to the point of death], He prayed more intently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down on the ground." 
 
That is some intense prayer. Thank you, sweet Jesus, for your sacrifice. Amen.

JESUS PRAYED FOR THE CHILDREN

Matthew 19 verse 13 "Then children were brought to Jesus so that He might place His hands on them [for a blessing] and pray . . ." 
 
JESUS SAID, MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER


Luke 19 verses 45 and 46

45 “Jesus went into the temple [enclosure] and began driving out those who were selling, 

46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer’ . . ."

JESUS PRAYED FOR HIS APOSTLES

Luke 22 verse 32 "but I have prayed [especially] for you [Peter], that your faith [and confidence in Me] may not fail; and you, once you have turned back again [to Me], strengthen and support your brothers [in the faith]." 

JESUS PRAYED FOR BELIEVERS

John 17
 
9 “I pray for them; I do not pray for the world, but for those You have given Me, because they belong to You;" . . . 
 
and, verse 20 “I do not pray for these alone [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for [all] those who [will ever] believe and trust in Me through their message," 
 
Jesus prayed for future believers!

Hebrews 5:7 "In the days of His earthly life, Jesus offered up both [specific] petitions and [urgent] supplications [for that which He needed] with fervent crying and tears to the One who was [always] able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission toward God [His sinlessness and His unfailing determination to do the Father’s will]." 
 
So, Jesus prayed to the Father, specifically and urgently, for that which He needed, with fervent crying and tears . . .
 
How many of us do that? I mean, as I was writing this, I was like, oh man, we, believers, just do not get it at all.
 
Prayer. Why don’t we listen to God, and His Word, when we know it is alive and active and powerful? Men are so stubborn. Jesus offered up, prayed for, both [specific] petitions and [urgent] supplications [for that which He needed]. We should do the same, and we should keep praying until our prayers are God’s Will, until He answers them. Amen.

JESUS SAID PRAY TO AVOID TEMPTATION

Luke 22:46 "and He said to them, 'Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not fall into temptation.'” 
 
THIS is me. I love my sleep. God has been calling me for two years to get up around 2 to 3 am and pray. I did a few times, but Satan tells me repeatedly that I love my sleep; it’s too cold; too hot; I’m too tired. Jesus said, Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not fall into temptation, and disobey God. Put a fire under me Lord. Amen.
 
JESUS PRAYED AFTER HIS BAPTISM

Luke 3:21-22 "Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, the [visible] heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are My Son, My Beloved, in You I am well-pleased and delighted!” 

JESUS PRAYED THREE TIMES BEFORE HIS CRUCIFIXION asking God to let the cup pass from Him, but always in God’s Will, and not His own!

Matthew 26:39, 42 and 44

39 "And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.'” . . . 

42 "He went away a second time and prayed, saying, 'My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.'” . . . 

44 "So, leaving them again, He went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words once more." 

JESUS PRAYED AT HIS LAST BREATH

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Matthew 27:42. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.

So, Jesus prayed repeatedly, for many things. We should do no less, if we want God to answer our prayers.
 
Do not fall into Satan’s trap of thinking that if God did not answer your prayers that he simply is not listening to you, or doesn’t care about you, because He is listening, and He does care about each one of us, more than we could ever comprehend.
 
He will answer our prayers in His Time, in His Will:
 
Isaiah 46:10 “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”
 
His counsel will stand, and He will do all His pleasure . . . In HIS time, not man’s time, not Satan’s time, God’s Time. Praise God.
 
What is the definition of fervently? From dictionary.com: “with great intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.”
 
If we pray fervently, without ceasing, pray believing, in God’s Will, we will receive.
 
James 5 tells us that prayer is “dynamic”:
 
James 5:16 from the Amplified Bible “Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God--it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].”
 
Definition of "dynamic": always ACTIVE or changing.

So, prayer is always active or changing, and can have tremendous power, when put into action and made effective by God! There is power in God's Word, and His Word says, there is power in prayer.
 
In Psalm 138, we learn that God magnified His Word, the Holy Bible, given for us, so we can have faith in Him, know that He is real, He magnified His Word above His Name, and His Word tells us to pray in every circumstance and situation!
 
Psalm 138:2 “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.”
 
Fervent and unceasing prayer is important if you want action from God. How, when and where you pray is not as important as just praying.

God works in mysterious ways that we do not understand, that we cannot possibly understand. God is moulding us into His Will, and we need to let the pieces that Satan has defined as us fall off. Literally, we need to tell Satan to, Get behind us, or better yet, get under our feet, so we can bruise or crush his head. Satan is down under our feet, and we are up here in the clouds with Jesus. 

Our prayers do not have to be specific or elaborate. God is not judging us on our grammar. Meditation on His Word, prayer and worship can, and should, be done all day long, every day. When asked by His apostles how to pray, Jesus replied, pray in this manner: Matthew 6:9, the Lord’s Prayer.
 
Let’s bow our heads and pray:
 
“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
 
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
 
Give us this day our daily bread,
 
And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
 
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
 
Praise God. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
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