prayer

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When we look at the prayer life of Jesus, something surprising emerges.

Much of our prayer life revolves around our needs, our problems, and our circumstances.

Jesus certainly cared about people's needs, but when we examine His prayers and the prayers He taught, we discover a much bigger picture.

Again and again, His prayers were focused on God's Kingdom, God's mission, God's will, and God's people.

### Before His Ministry

Before Jesus began His public ministry, He spent forty days in the wilderness fasting and seeking His Father.

Many Christians see prayer as a way of asking God for things.

We pray for our family.

We pray for our health.

We pray for our finances.

We pray for guidance and protection.

None of these things are wrong. In fact, God invites us to bring all our requests to Him.

But if that is all prayer is, we have missed something much bigger.

Prayer is not the destination.

Prayer is not simply about getting our personal needs met.

Prayer is joining God in what He is already doing.

Many Christians treat prayer like the spare tyre in their car.

It is there if we need it. It is important. We are glad we have it.

But most of the time it stays in the boot and gets ignored.

Only when things go badly wrong do we pull it out and use it.

Yet when we look at the life of Jesus, prayer was not His spare wheel. Prayer was the steering wheel.

Before major decisions, He prayed.

Before choosing the twelve disciples, He prayed.

Before miracles, He prayed.

Before the cross, He prayed.

Important Note: This article was designed to fit in the last third of the three thirds meeting. Usually called “Multiplication” or “Look Ahead”. These exercises can be completed after the group has first done a self-discovery Bible study on the passage. It is not to be used as a teaching medium but instead as a memory reinforcement for what they have already discovered for themselves.

The Five "P"s in the template of how Jesus wanted us to pray.