Jump Start # 1593

Luke 11:1 “It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.’”

This week our Jump Starts are going to explore the subject of prayer. Most of us readily admit that we don’t pray as much as we ought to. I’ve never met a Christian that confessed, “I think I pray too much.” Also, most admit that our prayers are too short and most times we pray about physical things and not spiritual. We’ve had classes on prayers. We’ve heard sermons about prayer. We’ve moved beyond the basic concepts of who to pray to and praying according to God’s will. We’ve studied God’s answers to prayer. We have learned about providence and patience. Still, here we are, not feeling very good about our prayer life.

Our passage this morning is very interesting. The disciples heard Jesus pray. After He finished, they asked to be taught to pray. We must understand, this is coming from Jewish men who grew up going to the synagogue and temple where they witnessed prayers often. These men came from homes in which the father was active in praying. They cut their teeth on the Psalms which records some of the finest prayers, especially of David. So, their question wasn’t explain “Pray 101” to us. Some need that. Some came from backgrounds in which people prayed to dead saints and to Mary. Some only prayed when there was an emergency. When the crisis passed, so did the prayers. In those settings, folks need to be taught the basics of praying. Why pray. What does prayer do. How prayer helps. Great lessons.

These disciples were beyond that. They understood those things. It wasn’t so much “How to pray,” as it was, “Teach us to Pray,” like you just did. Jesus was always praying. Before He chose the apostles, He prayed. He prayed all night. He prayed in the garden before His arrest. Upon the cross, His final statements were prayers. The praying Jesus was impressive. God talking to God. The Holy One praying to His Father. If anyone didn’t need to pray, we’d think it was Jesus. Yet, He did. He did for our example. He did for His sake. He did because that’s what fellowship with God demands and needs. He did because He wanted to.

I think it’s that last thought that helps us with prayer. If we view praying as a task, it becomes a task. If guilt drives us to prayer, we’ve missed something. We’ve seen at a birthday party, a child gets a toy and is so excited that he runs off to play with it. His mother hollers, “Tell grandma ‘Thank you.’” The child shouts over his shoulder, “Thank you,” and is off. The mother sighs because she does not think he really meant it. If we are told to pray and we respond as that child did, because we were told to, it doesn’t seem so genuine. Prayer is a choice. We want to talk to God. That’s what Jesus did.

So, we must begin with wanting to talk to God. Peel that layer back and your concept of God has much to do with your willingness to pray. If you think you are bothering God, then you won’t pray much. He’s too busy, we say. Jesus didn’t think so. If you think that God is mean and mad at you, then you won’t pray. You’ll be afraid of Him. Jesus didn’t see God that way.

Last week, I got the opportunity to visit an assisted living center where a retired preacher lives. I have known him all of my life and read and read many of the things he had written. I never had the opportunity to just sit and talk with him. I have preached in many, many places where he has. We know the same people. He shared with me his preaching story. It was amazing. His dear wife was ready to go to lunch and he was still talking and talking. It was so enjoyable and encouraging to me. I learned much and benefited so  much from those couple of hours with him. I wish he lived closer to me. I do believe I’d be making a regular visit to him if I could.

Now, here’s the point. I found in a person that I really didn’t know very well, a kind and kindred spirit. It was easy to talk with him. It was pleasant and helpful. Shouldn’t talking to God be the same? Shouldn’t it be easy. We have so much in common with God. On the surface it seems that we don’t. He’s eternal and I’m not. My history, my story, started in the 1950’s. God has always been. God is holy, I try but sometimes I’m not. God is focused, spiritual and often I’m hung up in this physical world. It can seem that God is so different from us. But then we realize that He knows us. He has an interest in us. He loves us. He loves us even though He knows us. He wants us to talk to Him. We do have a lot in common. He cares about my family. He loves the congregation I worship with. He wants me to do well. He wants me to know Him better. There are many things that we can talk about.

This is where prayer must begin. It starts with God. It starts with wanting to talk with God. It starts with knowing how blessed and loved we are by God. Those thoughts will shape your prayers. It will affect the tone and what you say in those prayers. Given the opportunity to spend 30 minutes with the President, of the United States,  many of us would give him a piece of our mind. If we could just have lunch with the CEO of our company, many would tell him what he is missing. We feel this way because we do not believe the President or even the CEO is looking out for our best interest. We wonder if they even care. We wonder if they even know who we are. We wonder if they even know our names. God is not like this. He does care. He has shown that He cares. He does know you. He knows your name.

Remember the Jericho story? Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem to be crucified and he stopped under a tree and called out to a short tax collector that was sitting in that tree. Jesus called Zacchaeus by name. He knew His name. He knows your name. He can even pronounce it properly. Like that Zacchaeus story, Jesus wants to come to your home. You invite Him in when you pray.

Prayer is conversation. It’s is talking to God. It’s not a check list. I marvel when someone says during a prayer in church, “Lord, we pray for those we are supposed to pray for.” What does that mean? Sometimes we fly though some quick bullet points and feel that we’ve prayed. Prayer is talking. It’s talking to God. Our conversations with our children or our mates or our parents, does not follow a set check list that we must run through. Sometimes we just talk about one thing. Can’t prayer be like that? Not every prayer of Jesus was the same. David’s prayers were not the same. You don’t need to run through the same things each time. Listen to what you are saying? Does it sound like you are talking to someone or just reading a list?

When you pray for that person who is ill, talk about that person with God. Park it there. Spend some time there. It’s more than, “Lord, I pray for the sick, sister Smith and brother Jones.” And that’s it. Really? Pray for them. Spend some time on that subject. Talk to God. Envision God sitting in a chair. What would you tell Him about sister Smith? Expand that thought. Really pray.

Prayer begins with wanting to talk with God. Prayer is talking. You must remember who you are talking to. You must be kind, reverent and respectful. You ask. You don’t tell God what to do. You don’t demand. You ask. Job learned that he was out of place in the way he talked to God. We must remember that. But, oh, the wonderful value of a person that is always talking with the Lord.

We have more to say about this.

Roger