Unlocking The Power of Prayer:
What Jesus taught His Disciples to pray about (Part Two)
First, we begin with What Prayer is not.
Prayer is not a monologue, invoking the deity to fight our battles.
It is not asking God to do our will or bend His will to satisfy our whims and caprices.
Prayer is not Cursing; It is not calling down fire upon our enemies. If we are Christians, the Spirit in us is not the spirit of Elijah - not at all.
Recall the Mount of Transfiguration (Mattew 17: 1-9).
Jesus, as usual, took with Him, Peter, James, and John - members of His inner caucus - to Mount Tabor to be alone with God, the Father. Right there, the disciples witnessed the video footage of a heavenly event, playing out before them. Moses and Elijah, personifying the Law and the Prophet, appeared in the company of Jesus. The heavens open and the Holy Spirit descends hovering over them, while God the Father speaks from heaven attesting the uniqueness of Christ’s place in the redemptive plan.
Hebrew 1:1-3 tells us:
“In the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by his Son whom he appointed heir of all things…”
This Scripture affirms the Father’s command on the Mount of Transfiguration where He declared,
“This is my Son whom I love, with him I am well pleased; Listen to him” (v.5).
End of story.
It marked the End of an Era and the beginning of a new one.
Moses and Elijah disappeared from the stage leaving Jesus in charge. They had completed their “schoolmasters” assignments, preparing the world for Christ. The message is loud and clear for those who have ears to hear.
But you know, fallen humans, bent on doing things their way, will always ignore the voice of God. Paul urges believers to “walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Galatia 5:16).
Sadly, the flesh reigns and rules in the lives of canal Christians. Gratifying the desires of the flesh manifests in different forms - including manipulating others under the guise of prayers and prophetic utterances. Prayer sessions have become religious platforms for exploiting people’s ignorance and gullibility for personal gain.
Back to what prayer is not. Praying does not translate to weekly night vigils; It’s not an occasional mountain-top encounter with God. Prayer is a continuous interaction with our Father in heaven. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 says “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances…” Prayer is a heartfelt desire and joy in God’s presence.
What it Means to Pray:
At the minimum, prayer is a dialogue; a plea from one entity to another. It is a relational and engaging spiritual exercise involving divinity and humankind. Prayer establishes communication between God, the loving Father, and His children.
For believers, prayer is a practical tool for seeking God’s guidance for our actions. Jesus says,
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen of men…but when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen” (Matthew 6:5-8).
Jesus here says, prayer is personal and needs not be made public. It’s a dialogue between you and God on issues that affect you and yours.
The first step to prayer is knowing that “I am in God’s presence,” and that God is omnipresent. He is where I am at any given time. He is a Father who loves me dearly.
Prayer for me is learning to focus my thoughts on each day’s events, with gratitude. It is taking time to identify where I encountered God in people, places, and things.
A praying Christian is concerned about obeying the Lord, Jesus - focusing on purifying his or her heart of evil thoughts with God’s help. For “what comes out of a person is what defiles them” (Mark 7:20). Hence my thoughts should be focused on how to spend my time, hoping to find some goodness in what I do to reflect more Christ-like traits.
When we sit quietly and reflect on where we were, and where we are going, we become better humans. Jesus says, “Follow me.” We keep on trying and praying even when we fall short as sinful humans.
Some people say the Bible is an old, outdated book. But the more I read the Bible, the more I hear Christ’s message for today. He still wants us to feed the poor and share our talents. He still wants us to love one another.
Meditating on the Scriptures helps us to understand what it is like to be a spiritual being at a human level. Psalm 4:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Prayerful meditation is letting God do the talking. To be silent before God is a form of prayer. We will be wise enough to listen as He speaks through the Scriptures and in His silent but powerful voice.
The door of spiritual maturity is what we keep knocking at through prayer. We keep praying and seeking until we see Him as He is and be like Him. Until then, prayer is taking baby steps toward loftier goals. The more we pray the more we can learn about ourselves and our ever-evolving role on earth.
We can never stop praying!
You know what, during prayer and meditation, we sit between heaven and earth, knocking at the door of spiritual consciousness. We can always join King David in praying:
“Search me God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139: 23-24).
Thanks for reading. Share if you find this piece edifying.
