A New Way of Being: 10 Lessons From the Sermon on the MountSample

Day 8: Being Prayerful

Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. This should be the request of every disciple because prayer is such a vital communication between a disciple and God.

As we reflect upon the importance of this teaching, we will see four important principles about prayer.

First, a disciple should praise God for being who he is and for calling us into a community of faith. Notice first of all, Jesus tells his disciples to address God as “Our Father.”

How often do you think of your prayer life as being part of a community? Most of the time we think of our prayers as a solitary or individual spiritual experience. But here Jesus says the opposite. When we pray, we ought not simply pray for our own benefit,  but we ought to pray as a member of a collection of people loved by God and called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28). Jesus also reminds us that God is not distant or uncaring, he truly is our father who loves us and wants to answer our prayers.

Second, Jesus tells his disciples to humbly rest in God’s plans and ask for him to rule in their lives as he rules in heaven. A disciple should ask for God’s will to be done in every circumstance and relationship so that he or she can be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ.

Third, Jesus reminds his disciples to ask God for the things they need. As disciples, we should be dependent upon God on a daily basis. Remember how the Israelites relied upon God’s daily provision in the wilderness. The food God gave them could not be stored overnight, they were conditioned to rest in his constant care. This is what Jesus is saying to his disciples. Ask God to supply your daily needs, both physical and spiritual. Depend upon his faithfulness and love.

Fourth, Jesus tells his disciples to yield to God’s plan. When trials and temptations come into our lives, Jesus says that we must rely upon God to carry us through them. God can use every challenging circumstance in our lives to make us more like Jesus. The Apostle James explains this by saying, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).

Questions to Ponder:

How does remembering God as my father affect the way I pray?  How does prayer give me strength against temptation or trial?