Prayer is the Work

       The more I reflect,the more I am convinced that without a hidden prayer life,we could all slip into a lifestyle of independence,a mere play acting at following Christ. At worst, this could lead into a lifestyle of pride and arrogance, and a misplaced belief in ourselves not too dissimilar to that which motivated the construction of the Tower of Babel. The Babel story has many applications, not least of which is how much man can build without any help from the Lord.
In my experience there are two extreme positions to avoid. The first is monastic retreat, where I simply use prayer as a comfort blanket to avoid getting my hands dirty in a messy broken world. The other is where I am too cavalier in rushing in where angels dare to tread, and see prayer as no more than a prologue or appendix to my own agenda. As in all things, Jesus teaches and demonstrates a rhythm of life that is anchored in the fruit of answered prayer. I have put a number of those principles down which I have found helpful in my own prayer pilgrimage.

1. Jesus deliberately made time to pray. '
    
'Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed'.      Mark 1 v 35.
 
  Prayer wasn't the prologue or the appendix to Jesus' day. Prayer provided the fuel and focus for His mission. Rather than staying static in the place that he had just performed numerous healings, His response to His disciples' request was 'Let us go somewhere else' ( v 38).
   His prayer life gave Jesus clarity of focus, and kept Him dancing to the Father's calling on His life, rather than the agendas of men. The message of the gospel accounts is clear. Jesus deliberately diaried in significant and regular times of prayer. We need to do the same. I am all for 'praying on the move', in the mix of life. However that is not the same as intentionally making room for prayer with no other agenda.

2. Jesus prayed in relaxed locations.

Jesus prayed at times in the wilderness,
on a mountain, or in a garden.There would be times when he was alone  (Luke 6 v 12, 9 v 18,11 v 1), and times when he would be praying with those close to Him ( Luke 9 v 28-31, 22 v 39-46). We need to find what times and locations are best for us.
      I personally find walking in the countryside, preferably in the early mornings very helpful. For others, it might be late at night over a coffee in their lounge. We need to find what works for us. We also need to get the balance right of how often we are on our own in prayer, and when we need to be praying with others for support. Jesus had a select number who He would share His heart with, as well as a clear personal prayer life with the Father.
  I've often found it helpful to offload major burdens on to the Lord first, in private, and to then pray through those same issues with close friends. Praying with others is important, but it is not a substitute for our own personal prayer life.

3. Praying out of Sabbath Rest.

'Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest' Matthew 11 v 28.

  We find sabbath rest in Jesus because He is the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus delighted Himself in His Father's love, and the security of that unconditional love is the foundation for our own lives. At His baptism, Jesus heard the Father's words of affirmation and love before He had done any ministry ( Matthew 3 v 13-17).
  When we are secure in that same love, we can then pray for all that is on our heart with poise and passion . We won't be praying to score reward points in heaven, or to use prayer as a place to tell God how great we are, and how not so great others are. Sabbath rest is the place where we are better able to hear God's voice, and begin to get our prayers from heaven, rather than from ourselves.

4. Prayer is the place of submission.

    In the Gethsemene account of Jesus' last moments before His arrest, we see Him praying the ultimate prayer of submission. In the words of a Graham Kendrick hymn, 'Hands that flung stars into space, to cruel nails surrendered'. His submission to the Father, in the place of prayer, brought Jesus into line with the Father's will. This cup of suffering could not be removed by prayer, but Jesus would need prayer in order to help Him drink it down to the dregs.
  Prayer cultivates a soft and teachable spirit, to the Lord and to one another. When any group of Christians regularly pray together, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ becomes a lot easier than if you were not praying together. All of us at some point will have to drink a cup we would rather avoid. Through learning to pray in submission with others,with a humble spirit and contrite heart, we can access the grace to help us at that moment of need.

5. The Scriptures come to life.

     In the wilderness, Jesus is meditating on the scriptures, and uses them to resist the devil's temptations ( Matthew 4 v 1-11). The marriage of prayer and the scriptures were the foundation of Jesus' understanding of spiritual warfare. It isn't enough to simply have the scriptures in our hands, we need to learn how to pray the scriptures into reality.
  At a personal level, I have a number of foundational scriptures that the Lord has given and clearly confirmed over the years. Quite often I will go back to them, at times with a little fasting, to pray over them again and again. It is thrilling when you see them become more and more a reality in either your own life, or in the lives of others. When the devil attempts to undermine, there is no substitute for concrete, prayed through scriptural realities to draw strength from.
   Jesus' desire was to only say and do what the Father gave Him to say and do ( John 5 v 19-30, 12 v 49-50). He knew what was in a person's heart, and knew the right word to bring at the right moment. It was Jesus' rhythm in the place of prayer that fuelled His words and works. We need to follow in His footsteps. It can be so tempting to'wing' things in our own strength. God is gracious, and will often bless our efforts, but it is often inspite of us rather than because of us.

6. Jesus commended perseverance in prayer.

   Luke records two stories to emphasize the importance of perseverance, in Luke 11 v 5-13, and 18 v 1-8. Both stories challenge me. I often wonder how many unfinished prayer projects there are in heaven, resembling an incompleted building site. Jesus taught and modelled persistent and persevering prayer. If we are to see sustainable spiritual change in our churches and cities, then surely a foundational life of persevering prayer amongst the leaders of those churches and cities has to be axiomatic?

7. Jesus inspired others to pray.

In Luke 11 v 1 we read that the disciples came to Jesus and wanted Him to teach them how to pray. They had clearly seen something in Jesus' prayer life that caught their attention. Two questions. When was the last time you asked anyone to teach you how to pray? Secondly, has anyone ever asked you to help teach them how to pray, on the basis of seeing you pray, rather than merely hearing you talk about prayer?
  Prayer is as much caught as taught. We need teaching, but there is no better place than to actively engage in prayer, either on our own, or with others. Some of my most treasured moments have been in places where people have modelled prayer to me, praying that has been on a different planet.

8. Jesus is looking for a House of Prayer

''My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" Mark 11 v 17.

  Jesus taught and modelled prayer that had both the personal and global context in view. So for example, he cared passionately for individuals like Lazarus and Zaccheus, but commissioned the disciples to go and preach to the nations. He had both a vision for individuals, but also saw the bigger picture of discipling whole nations. He was also concerned for the immediate needs of people, as well as the eternal realities to come.
    So, for example, He would feed a large crowd with a few loaves of bread and fish, but at the same time remind that same crowd that there was something far more important to life than simply having their stomachs filled ( John 6 v 25-59). Our prayers need to reflect both of these opposite perspectives. We need to pray and act with individuals in mind, but also pray and act with the bigger picture of discipling nations in mind. We need to pray and act with people's immediate needs in mind, but also recognise the eternal backdrop and consequences of how people respond to Jesus.
  A few thoughts then on how Jesus positioned Himself in prayer. If there is some truth in that old cliche, that 'a man is only as big as his prayer life', then my prayer is 'Lord teach me how to pray'. The last thing I want to do is make prayer the prologue or appendix of my life.