Prayer 

Prayer – Our most precious connection with God this side of Heaven. 

When we ask “why pray” we must first of all embrace the fact that “Jesus did.”

Philip Yancey in his book on prayer points out that:

“The Gospels record just over a dozen specific prayers by Jesus, along with several parables and teachings on the subject. He followed the normal Jewish practice of visiting the synagogue, the “House of prayer”, and of praying at least three times a day. We can safely assume that Jesus often prayed in private too, for when his disciples asked for instruction on prayer Jesus said that  they should seclude themselves. Such prayers made an impression on his followers: five times the gospels mention Jesus practice of praying alone.”

Jesus prayed in times of trouble, especially in the Garden of Gethsemane and from the cross. He prayed in times of temptation and especially for the common, every day things, such as daily bread and broken relationships. He often lifted up others in prayer – for children, for Simon Peter in a time of testing, and from the cross for his persecutors. 

Jesus prayed for refreshment when alone. He shares with his disciples that – “I have food to eat that you know nothing about,” to reassure them as they worried about his lack of nourishment in heavy times of ministry.

Does God really care? Yancey again alludes to this:

“We know how God feels, because Jesus gave us a face, one sometimes streaked with tears. We can follow Jesus through the gospels and see how he responds to a widow who has lost her son, to an outcast woman whose bleeding won’t stop, even to a Roman officer whose servant has fallen ill. In his tender mercy Jesus gave us a visible sign of how the Father must hear our prayers even now.”

If Jesus felt a compelling need to pray we must follow. He believed it made a difference. In doing so, we draw closer to God and share his burden for the world. 

Philip Yancey – Prayer – Does it Make a Difference? (Zondervan 2006)