Praying Like Jesus

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. (Luke 5:16 NASB)

This verse is so important to Christian living that it demands a second look. A "mini-vacation" is nice, but a simple change in routine is not why Jesus slipped away. When the world pressed in and threatened to overwhelm Him, when He was facing a difficult challenge, before the toughest choice of His life (save mankind on the cross or not), He went to a quiet place alone and did the only thing that would help. 

He prayed. 

This was not a memorized, "Now I lay me down to sleep" prayer, nor one from a prayer book, although both kinds of prayer have their place. This was a heartfelt conversation with the Most High God, who also just happened to be His Daddy. 

We don't know exactly what happened, but we know something of how Jesus prayed. He spoke words of praise and honor to His Father, much as we would greet someone with words like "I'm so glad to see you", or "Thanks for taking time with me today".  He also spoke of His needs, including His need for wisdom and direction, as well as His need for protection and His desire to stay the course without error. 

(You may think I'm making this up, but I'm not. We can know the way Jesus spoke with His Father by looking at the model prayer He gave us in Matthew 6.) 

Jesus's words were an important part of His prayer time, but if that was all there was, He would still have the same questions He had before He started praying. Conversations require two-way communication, and that's the essence of prayer. Jesus needed the quiet and the solitude to hear that still small voice clearly and to get the direction He needed.  He also needed time so that He could stay in place until the conversation was completed. 

When you pray, is it like a conversation between a much-loved child and an adoring Father or just a laundry list of needs and wants?  There is a place for expressing desires, but if the list is all that happens, it's not really a conversation with God, is it?   As we approach the New Year, let's commit to spending quality time in conversation with the Lover of Our Soul. 

Today, pray for daily quiet, alone time with our Lord and a commitment to use that time wisely. Pray that we and our loved ones will be quiet and still until we hear that Still Small Voice and willing to obey the direction He gives.  
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p.s. - The rock, above, is said to be the place where Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before he was arrested and crucified.

Battle in the Wilderness: The Pause that Refreshes (Luke 4:13)

When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time. (Luke 4:13 NASB)

Forty days in the wilderness being led by the Spirit and tempted by the devil finally came to an end. A wonderful thing happened then. The tempter took a break from temptation! Of course, it wasn't a permanent halt to temptation. There was more to come, and just as hard (or harder, as evidenced by the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane), but for a while, Jesus got a break from temptation. Talk about the pause that refreshes!  

Temptations will come our way, and our loved ones will also face temptation. There will be seasons of severe temptation when, without the grace of God, we would surely succumb. Sadly, there will also be seasons of temptation when, even with the grace of God, we succumb to the sin that so easily besets us. As our heart breaks over the choices of loved ones in such trying times, take heart that even the days of temptation are finite. 

Pray today that the times of temptation will be limited, and that they will be brought to a speedy close so that our loved ones can refocus  on our Lord, regain lost faith, and find refreshment for their souls. 

Battle in the Wilderness: No Grumbling Allowed (Luke 4:12)

And Jesus answered and said to him, "It is said, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Luke 4:12 NASB)

The third and final temptation in the wilderness was to step outside the will of God to show His own importance and divert His direction from the one God had prepared for Him. The price, once again was worship of self. 

Jesus's answer was a quote from Deuteronomy 6:16 and is a reference to the events Massah. The children of Israel had traveled in stages from the wilderness of Sin and had arrived at Rephidim (Moses renamed it Massah - or test - because of the testing there). There was no water at the camp and they began to grumble (whine and complain). As usual, the people overdramatized the situation, saying that they, their children, and all the livestock were going to die of thirst. Moses thought they were about to stone him, and he cried out to God, Who instructed him to strike the rock with his staff. Moses did just that, and water flowed out. 

God had not failed to provide for the people. All they had to do was ask, and He had provided generously every time. Arguing and threatening Moses was not necessary. The multitude of Hebrews, however, were no different than we are today. They wanted what they wanted, when they wanted it, and they were not willing to wait for it. They didn't want to ask for a miracle. They wanted the miraculous to miraculously appear without having to ask for it. It was not the asking for water that was the problem. It was the WAY they asked for it - defiant, demanding, disrespectful of the One who had just delivered them from slavery. Jesus wanted no part of such behavior, for ultimately the people continued with their grumbling and demanding attitudes and it cost them dearly. Not only did most of them spend the rest of their lives in the wilderness, but also they missed the face to face encounter with God that only Moses enjoyed. It's no wonder Jesus was able to resist. 

I wonder just what my drama and exaggeration of the difficulties I've encountered have cost?  What have my grumbling and complaining cost? What have yours cost you? It is easy to see an immediate need with no immediate answer in sight and totally panic, rather than wait in faith for God's answer. It's easy to look at the poor choices of loved ones and think they will never change. The easy wilderness response to our fear and hurt is grumbling and doubt. Nevertheless,  Our response needs to be one of humility, faith, and consistent, persistent prayer. 

As we pray today, remember to thank God for the answers He has already given. Let's simply present our needs before Him today and ask that living water will flow through our loved ones as it did at the rock of Horeb. No grumbling allowed. 

Battle in the Wilderness: The Proof (Luke 4:9)

And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; (Luke 4:9 NASB)

Before going into the wilderness, Jesus had been baptized by John. You will remember that, as He came up out of the water, the Spirit of God came in the form of a dove and rested on His shoulder. The Voice of God spoke from heaven and proclaimed that Jesus was God's Son. Two parts of the Holy Trinity manifested to acknowledge the third. Jesus already knew He was the Son of God. After His baptism, the seekers  following John knew it. too. 

God Himself had, by His manifestations at the river, chosen the site and direction of Christ's ministry. He had come for the people with hearts that seek for God. He was not sent to do flashy signs and wonders at the temple. He came and encountered people where they lived and worked. He became a part of people's lives. Jesus demonstrated a personal relationship with God by His every day encounters. 

Satan, almost certainly hoping for a public debacle and speedy end to the work of redemption by Jesus's suicidal jump off the temple wall, suggested He leap off the temple.  The tempter was goading Him to prove Himself as the Son of God by a foolish act. As if the affirmation by the river had not proved Him the Son of God, or had not been impressive enough, the devil asks for another sign. "Prove it!" the devil dared Jesus. 

It's a very human response to want proof. As a physician, I want a well designed, double blinded controlled study to "prove" new theories and demonstration the effectiveness of new treatments. Knowing how easy it is to be deceived, we want to be sure, don't we? 

In the Christian life, however, faith requires that we believe without seeing. That sounds pretty radical, doesn't it? It is true, but in that believing, we have a personal relationship with a loving God who actively involves Himself in our lives. Although we don't see Him, we can certainly see Him at work in our lives. We don't "see" the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that the Spirit gives us, but we can certainly recognize them when they are there. 

Jesus knew that the work God had already done was manifestation enough. He knew that the relationship He came to personalize was enough. He knew that the work of redemption He would do on the cross would be enough. Enough. Enough has been done, and response, not more doing, is required. 

The question for us is whether or not we accept the proof that has already been given, whether or not we are enjoying the relationship that has already been offered. 

Pray today that we and our children will not require a self-devised, self-centered proof of God but will be willing to accept the proof He has already given us and will quickly recognize the peace and joy (as well as all the fruit of the Spirit) that only relationship with our Lord can bring. 

Battle in the Wilderness: Better than Bread (Luke 4:3,4)

And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread." And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone.'" (Luke 4:3, 4 NASB)

In Jesus' time, there were no printing presses to produce large quantities of printed materials. That would not come until Gutenberg in 1450. There had been other forms of movable type printing, but nothing that could handle large quantities until Gutenberg's invention. In Jesus's time, the only "books" were painstakingly handwritten scrolls. There were no children's Bibles for young ones to handle and read.  Instead, young Jewish boys were schooled in local synagogues, where they were trained to memorize Scripture. The boys were supposed to memorize the books of the Torah - the first five books of our Bible. (The girls were taught Psalms and Proverbs by their mothers.) It was an incredible feat of memorization that we have, sadly and to our detriment, abandoned today. 

When the enemy tempted Jesus to turn the stone into bread, Jesus responded by quoting a verse from Deuteronomy 8:3. (Matthew records the entire quote, "Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything that proceeds from the mouth of God.") This was a particularly astute use of Scripture because this passage is one in which the children of Israel had just spent forty years in the wilderness. They were about to enter the Promised Land, and it was Moses job to teach them how to live obediently once they entered. In this passage, Moses was explaining the purpose of the wilderness. He said that God had allowed the wilderness to humble them, test them, reveal what was in their hearts, evaluate their willingness to obey Him, and to discipline them. It is the purpose of our own wilderness times today. They are designed to make us more willing to obey and more like our Lord. 

Jesus clearly understood that His time in the wilderness was also a time of testing and preparation for what God had prepared for Him. He was determined not to fail and realized the test was not yet complete. This final part was a critical portion in testing His willingness to submit to the will of God.  The verse Jesus quoted was speaking of the manna God had given the Israelites in the wilderness. Moses said that God allowed them to experience hunger, then fed them with manna so that they could understand that they "didn't live by bread alone."  Jesus understood that God could and would provide in His timing. 

What we ingest orally is not nearly as important as what we ingest into our hearts and minds by what we choose to read, watch, and hear. Jesus clearly felt that the Scriptures provided a nourishment that bread alone could never provide. Are we filling ourselves with Scripture? Do we ingest daily nourishment from the Word of God? In Jesus's own words, bread is not enough. To really live, we desperately need the Word of God. Are you receiving a steady diet of God's word? Do you spend enough time with Him to be nourished and strengthened for your day? Perhaps during our own wilderness experiences, those difficult times that come to all of us, we drew strength from God, but have we moved away and begun to rely on ourselves? 

Today, consider the Spiritual nourishment you ingest every day. Do you need to spend more time studying the Bible? Memorizing Scripture? 

Pray today that God will help you move to greater strength via the Word of God. Pray, too, that God will bring every verse our children and loved ones have memorized back to their minds and use it to draw them back to Himself. 

Battle in the Wilderness: The Preparation (Luke 4:1,2)

Part 2

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. (Luke 4:1, 2 NASB)

Jesus had just returned from the Jordan after His baptism and had gone to the wilderness in preparation for the ministry that had begun to unfold. Lest you entertain visions of Bear Grylls surviving in the forest, let me remind you that this was not a forest wilderness. It was most likely a bare rock wilderness. There were no trees, no mountain cabins, few streams, and probably just a cave for shelter. It was a wild place, but it was not a bucolic scene. It was a lonely, barren expanse. 

Jesus had gone into this bleak place "full of the Holy Spirit" and led by the Holy Spirit. In a spiritual sense, He was armed to the max, and that was critical, because his enemy, the devil, was there. Satan was ready for battle, and he never let up throughout the entire wilderness experience. 

Matthew Henry, in the early 1700's wrote, "The richest ship is a pirate's prize." The redemption of mankind was a hard fought battle, and it had never been more critical to sideline Christ than at this point. His public ministry had just begun, the Spirit had filled Him, and Satan was likely desperate to turn this around before it got out of hand. The most intense spiritual warfare mankind had ever known was underway, and Jesus was the prime target. 

Perhaps you, too, have gone straight from a mountaintop spiritual encounter with God into a time of intense spiritual struggle. Those wilderness testings are agonizing and hardly seem fair. I would much rather revel in what I've just enjoyed than engage in an all-out fight for my spiritual life. For warriors in the kingdom of God, however, when the Holy Spirit has led you there, the battle is the safest place to be. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, 

addressed the issue of surviving spiritual warfare. "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it." (1 Cor.10:13)

Ephesians 6 tells us about the tools we have available for spiritual warfare: the girdle of truth, breastplate of righteousness, boots of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation, and sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Jesus went into the wilderness fully protected and completely equipped for the battle at hand, and so must we.  If we are to emerge victorious in the fight for the hearts and souls of our loved ones, we must be completely equipped, ever vigilant, and totally reliant on the Spirit to lead us. 

That preparation begins with the girdle of truth. What is truth? Jesus. He is the truth and the source of all redemption. As we begin another day of praying for those who are precious to us, start by spending time with the One who loves you, redeemed you, and IS your Truth. Pray especially that those for whom we pray will recognize and embrace Truth. 

Battle in the Wilderness: Sweet Solitude (Luke 4:1,2a)

"Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days..."(Luke 4:1, 2a NASB)

In this passage, Jesus has just begun public service with His baptism. The time for ministry was limited. In three short years, He would offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sin of the world. With just over a thousand days for preaching and teaching, Jesus chose to invest the first forty days in the wilderness.

It seems like an odd way to begin redeeming the world, doesn't it? No one to hear His preaching. No one to teach. No one to heal. We think of this as time alone, but Scripture clearly says He was led about by the Spirit. Just as Moses before Him, He spent this time in the presence of God's Spirit. In a later verse, we see that this was also a forty day fast. Ah, it begins to make sense!

In those times of solitude and sacrifice, all the usual distractions are removed, and there is a sweetness of communion with God that can be found nowhere else. Jesus Himself taught about fasting as a private mode of worship and sacrifice, warning that we are to make no outward sign of fasting for others to see. He who was sinless prepared for service in the most important way of all, quietly, privately, communing with our Lord.

Denying ourselves in this culture is not at all popular, but the power to be found there remains. For today, ask yourself how serious you are about your prayer concerns and the spiritual needs of your children and loved ones. Is your concern great enough to spend time fasting and in solitude with our Lord? If so, offer a sacrifice of fasting (either food or pleasures) as you pray today.

The sweetest times with our Lord can be found when all the distractions are left behind. Today, pray for a willing heart to step aside with Him. Pray, too, that our children and loved ones will be drawn to the sweetness of Spirit they see in us as a result of our time with The Lord.