We must pay attention to how Christ prays so that we can pray like him. He is the ultimate leader, the teacher who teaches us to pray.
In (Luke 22:39-46) Jesus tells the disciples with him, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” I feel that this is very important to do, as Christ does. Pray daily on this, in the morning when you wake up, and all day!
It is so important that in (Luke 22:46) Jesus even reprimands the disciples with him for not doing this, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”
In this world there are so many temptations, they are meant to lead you away from God! Do not fall into the world trap. "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 3:15)
All we need to be happy is God! Do God's Will and we can find truth, and true happiness. We will also be pleased that we are doing the right things for the right reasons.
In Luke Christ then kneels down and prays, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Here Jesus is telling us what to pray for.
We can learn further about the kinds of things Christ wants us to pray for in the Lords Prayer. This is a special most power prayer for one because it was given to us directly from Christ, and it contains all the things we need daily to live a holy life.
"Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we also have forgiven those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." (Matt 6:9-13)
We are to pray for our own intentions of course, "Ask and it will be given to you;..." (Matt 7:7) We then need to know that we are to seek Gods Will ultimately, and not our own. We must be holy in everything we do, and constantly work on doing this!
Doing Gods will is a great way, the perfect way, to obtain holiness, and with God all things are possible. "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matt 5:48)
In (Luke 22:44) "being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. " We can learn here about the power of earnest prayer, Websters defines this as "a serious and intent mental state"
We learn that our prayer must be focused, controlled, and contemplative. This is the recipe for prayer not said in vain, which is condemned by God. We must pray for our intentions, but also contemplate on God's Will, and how we can better conform to that Will.
When we pray like this we are stepping towards God, and away from our self, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matt 16:24) We then can pray like Christ!
On a final note we learn from Saint James, "Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (or avails much)" (James 5:16)
When I think about all of the people that I pray for I also think of all the ways I fall short in righteousness, or holiness. I am reminded of this verse and how I need, how each one of us needs to be holy not only for ourselves, but for all of the people we love and care for who we pray for.
This may sound weird, but we owe it to God, and to those we love to be holy! These are just some of the things about prayer that I am learning these days, and I think about often. I want to strive daily to pray like this, and to pray more. I want to live my life in prayer this I think is beautiful, and befitting the beauty of God.
I hope you feel the same way too!
Everything we do can be a prayer, give all you have to God daily, even if it is doing the dishes, or taking care of your kids :)
There is so much more I can say, and so many before me have already said. I want to encourage you to read, the bible daily, and also about the lives of the Saints, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church like Saint Augustine who is my favorite.
If you want a list other good reads you can check out my recommended reading page, and hit me up on facebook I can direct you to some good stuff! When I get a chance I will add more to my list with links. Make sure to bookmark that page.
Thanks for reading :) Please share...
from Joanne
