Rooted In Prayer: Pray Like Jesus

This week I watched as President Trump met Queen Elizabeth for the first time. What struck me about their meeting is the fact that meeting the Queen was such a privilege. After all, very few people are given intimate access to the reigning Monarch of United Kingdom. Ordinary British citizens don’t receive this kind of access. You and I could never have this kind of access.  In fact, you really have to be someone special to be granted this privilege. That’s the way it is in the United Kingdom.  Very few people are given intimate access to the Queen.

But did you know that when Jesus Christ died for you to bring you to God, He made it possible for you to have access to the Creator of the Universe?  Ephesians 2:17-18 records this truth about Jesus: He came and preached peace to youwho were far away and peace to those who were near.  For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.  Now, because Jesus shed His blood for you, you have been given intimate access to God.  This is one of the greatest privileges given to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Now, because Jesus has given us access to the Father by one Spirit, we can approach God the Father anytime through prayer.

But when it comes to prayer what I have found is that many of us struggle with knowing what to do, what to say or really, just how to pray. And our struggle is not uncommon, for this is the very same struggle Jesus’ first century followers also grappled with.  They were confused about prayer.  They had seen how the religious leaders often made a great show of prayer.  They had witnessed how the pagans babbled on and on in prayer.  But when Jesus prayed he often went away to a quiet place to pray.   So this morning, we are going to look at what Jesus teaches His followers about prayer: how Jesus prayed.  So if you brought your Bible with you today, let me encourage you to find Matthew 6:9-13, where we get to learn how to take advantage of our privileged accessto the Father through prayer.

So, if you’ve found Matthew 6, the first thing I want us to note from the way Jesus’ prayed, is that Jesus teaches us HOW to pray not what to say! For if we look at this prayer in context, Jesus has been teaching about how not to pray.  He warns against making a religious show of prayer or about repeating some meaningless formula for prayer.  Now in saying this, there’s nothing wrong with learning the Lord’s Prayer and reciting it. But what Jesus is emphasizing here is about how he drew near the heart of God in prayer. So if this is how Jesus prayed, then we too can learn to pray like Jesus.So how does Jesus want us to pray?

Pray with a childlike confidence: Jesus begins his prayer by saying: ‘Our Father in heaven’ Now this was a revolutionary concept to first century Jews. The Jewish person never called on God as Father. A Jewish person saw God as so exalted that a personal relationship with Him wasn’t even something they imagined possible.   So when Jesus taught this, he was initiating a new way of approaching God.

So to pray like Jesus means we get to come to God as a person– our Father in heaven.  The Bible tells us in Matthew 7:11, that our earthly father knows how to give us good gifts.  But Jesus says, “how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him.”  We have a Father who gives. In John 8:28, Jesus said, “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.”  We have a Father who teaches.  In John 11, Jesus prayer to the Father before the raising of Lazarus saying, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me.”  We have a Father who hears.

This should give us confidence in approaching the Father: We come to a Father who is generous, a Father who wants to teach us, a Father who wants to hear from us. 

Jesus wants us to come to the Father just like He does.  He wants us to draw near our ‘Abba.’  That’s the word Jesus uses when addressing God.  “Abba” was the most intimate term used by small children to address their fathers.  But Jesus’ emphasis is not so much on this word as it is on the attitude this word represents.  Jesus teaches us here is that we are to come to God as our Abba with the same childlike confidence of an infant.  When we pray, we are to come to God like an infant crawling into His lap and trusting Him fully with our lives.  This is a great picture; a picture of intimacy, or trust, love and relationship.

Perhaps you didn’t grow up with a father like that, but God, the Father is like that. He is our “Abba.” This is whom Jesus would meet early in the morning. Spending time with His Abba gave Him the confidence to meet any challenge. Being with His Father gave him the conviction to teach, the compassion to heal, the courage to continue.  In prayer He learned to trust in His ‘Abba’ Father – and this is what He wants for us.

This is why Jesus calls us to have a childlike faith.  A child doesn’t think twice about coming to his father.  A child simply runs to his Father and knows He will be there for him. And we get to run to God as our Father. We get to come as His child.

Have you grasped this reality?  Jesus teaches us that prayer begins with a relationship with a Father who loves you.  Jesus made it possible for you to be forgiven so you could be reconciled to the Father. Jesus made it possible for you to be adopted into the very family of God.  Jesus gave you this access to the Father so you could draw near to Him anytime and anyplace.

This is where being rooted in prayer begins! It begins with an intimate relationship with our Abba Father – a relationship birthed through faith in Jesus; a relationship birthed in love.  You have a Father in heaven whose ear is attuned to your cry, who delights in giving you good gifts, and who wants to reveal Himself to you. So come Him like a child, His child.  You are not an inconvenience; not an interruption to God.  You are always welcome to bend His ear. This is where prayer begins: by drawing near your Father who loves you.  That’s how Jesus would have you come to Him in prayer.

But you say, what would God have me say when I come to Him? Good question.  That leads to the next way Jesus would have us pray: 2. Pray With An Honoring Reverence:  ‘Hallowed Be Your name’

Why does Jesus teach us to pray that the Father’s name would be holy?  The name of a person in the ancient near east meant more than it means to day.  It had to do with his character and reputation. For the Father’s name to be understood as Holy is for Him to be recognized as holy. Holy means different or special. It means God is utterly above us in wisdom, grace, mercy and truth.  His thoughts are above our thoughts.  His ways are above our ways.

That’s why Jesus teaches us to hallow God’s name.  After all, God’s name tells who He is.  When we honor His name, we are not only reminded of whom He is, but of what He can do. Each name of God in the Bible expresses a different aspect of His goodness or greatness as God:

Elohim – The Mighty Creator (Genesis 1:1)

Adonai – Master or Lord (Genesis 15)

El Shaddai – God Almighty (Genesis 17)

El Elyon – God Most High (Genesis 14)

Yahweh – Self Existing One (Exodus 3:14-15)

Yahweh Jireh – the Lord our Provider (Genesis 22)

Yahweh Nissi – the Lord our Banner (Exodus 17:8-16)

Yahweh Rohi  – the Lord our Shepherd (Psalm 23)

Yahweh Rophe – the God who Heals (Exodus 15:22-26)

So to pray, “hallowed be Your name”is to invite the expression of His holiness.  There is no one like our God. He alone is great, holy, righteous and good. When we declare, “Hallowed Be Your name”we are declaring our Father as the One worthy of worship. We are asking God to bring glory to His name.

And when we pray this way, we cannot possibly pray for our own glory. Do you see what Jesus is teaching us here? The Pharisees were concerned for their own glory when they prayed.  They wanted others to see how super spiritual they were.  That’s why they prayed on street corners. But this is not the way of Jesus. Jesus hallowed the Father’s name, to remind himself of the goodness and greatness of His Father.

And that’s what happens for us.  When we pray this way: When we praise the greatness of His name, the evils in our world grow smaller. When we praise the glory of His power, the burdens we carry become lighter. And when we worship Him as our Shepherd, the worries of this world flee and His presence sustains us.  And the more we hallow His name, something else begins to take place in us – the more we’ll want others to know the glory of His name.

This is how Jesus prayed and it impacted everything he said and did.  Jesus lived to bring glory to the name of His Father.  And if we can learn to pray like Jesus, it will change how we live too.  God will be our strength and our shield.  He will become our Shepherd and provider.  Our hope will be in Him.  And we will want others to know how Great He is.  Hallowed be Your Name.  That’s how Jesus prayed.  He prayed with reverence and it gave Him strength to face His day.  Do you pray like this?  If not, why not?  Give God the praise due His name, and you’ll never be the same. That’s the way of Jesus.  For when your heart draws near the heart of God, your prayers will begin to take on purpose.  That’s the third thing we see here:

Pray with a kingdom purpose: ‘Your Kingdom come’ Now this is a powerful request.  For built into this request is an expectancy for God to work, not just in your life but also in our world.   In fact, this is a revolutionary request.  It’s a request to overthrow the powers of this world and replace them with the reign of Christ.  This is what led A. W. Tozer to write: “The Christian is a Holy Rebel loose in the world with access to the throne of God.  Satan never knows what direction the danger will come.”

Praying“Your Kingdom Come” is THE request that can change our world!  This is why Jesus came.  When Jesus began his ministry he announced the good news: the kingdom of God is near.  Praying “Your kingdom come!”calls on God to restore His kingdom on earth.  Praying,  “Your kingdom come!”is asking God to help us be a blessing now.  Praying, “Your kingdom come!”is the prayer that changes lives and brings new life.  This prayer is our rebel cry against the status quo.  This is why Jesus prayed this way.  And if this was Jesus’ rebel cry, then it must be ours.  Jesus wants us to pray with purpose.

In other words, Jesus knows that praying for God’s kingdom to come is asking Him to set the world to rights.  The good news is that the more God’s kingdom takes hold on earth, the more relationships will be restored, broken people made whole – and all will get in on God’s Shalom: when prosperity,well-being, joy and celebration can rule the day.  This is the fruit of God’s abundant goodness – He wants to overturn the world with a revolution of grace!  Transforming His people to transform the world.  And if we can pray for this, then our hearts will align with God’s heart – and His reign might just become a reality for a bruised and damaged world.

Do we pray this way?  Do you pray this way?  Jesus did.  Jesus heart was preoccupied with what God wants to make happen in the world.  He wants to turn it upside down.  So he enlists us to pray for the same thing.  For as we do, our hearts will become knit with God’s, and His agenda will become our own.  We will want what He wants.

Finally, Jesus wants us to 4. Pray with a selfless passion  ‘Your will be done’   This is perhaps the most dangerous part of this prayer.  For if you dare to pray for God’s will to be done, you align your heart to the strongest desires of God’s heart.  That’s what Jesus did.  Jesus came to do the Father’s will.  That’s why Jesus never did anything without spending time alone with His Father.

So what’s God’s desire for all mankind? 2 Peter 3:9 says this, “He does not want anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  This verse summarizes best what Jesus came to do.  He came to seek and to save the lost.  He wants every person we lock eyes with to know His great love for them. He wants them to turn away from their empty way of life and turn to Him, the one who gave them life.

This is the toughest part of this prayer for all of us. For if we are honest with ourselves,to ask God that His will be done means that our will is done.  It means that we will want what He wants more than what we want. And let’s face it.  We are willful people.  We want what we want.  We want life to revolved around us. We’d rather create the life we want and ask God to bless it, rather than seek the life God wants for us.  So yes, Jesus saves this aspect of prayer for the last. Why?  Because it’s the way of surrender – It’s the way of faith.

Jesus prayed this way and where did it lead Him? It led Him to the cross.  But if you are serious about becoming more like Jesus, this is the prayer that invites God to not just work around you, but in you and through you.  So yes, this is a dangerous prayer, because it is a prayer that God wants to answer.

And what will God do in you when you start pray like Jesus?

When you pray like Jesus youwill begin to live like Jesus:

1. You will no longerbe held captive to all the world says you need and you will be content with praying “give us today our daily bread”
2. You will no longerbe preoccupied with performance and will let grace guide your relationships praying“forgive us our debts”
3. You will no longer be preoccupiedwith trying to make a life for your self in this broken world, instead, you will live victoriously praying“deliver us from the evil one”

So let’s learn to pray like Jesus.  Jesus gave us access to the Father so we could speak to Him as His child. This is our great advantage.  For we have a great Father who loves us.  We have a Father who is greater than anything in this world that’s weighing on us. And we have a Father who wants to change our world through us.  And all we need is to come to Him in prayer.  This is our privilege!  And what a privilege it is.  So will you learn to pray like Jesus?