Prayer - Lifestyle or Discipline.

"Let us have confidence then and approach God's throne, where there is grace. There we will receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:16.

When telling everyone my news about my Cancer this past few weeks, I realized that there was only one person in my family (except my son and his wife) that said they'd pray. I realized it is time I started doing some `heavy' praying for my family. I keep thinking about my Mum and her `gift of praying' and now I have discovered my young niece who really has a gift in this area.

I say my prayer life is more a `lifestyle faith' , but maybe this is just an excuse for not being committed to prayer. Those who know me well know how hard it is for me to `keep still and focused'. My Dad and sisters too were a great prayers, but I seem to have let the side down. Time I did something about it.

Where do I start - the Bible of course. My young niece reminded me to look at how Jesus prayed.

1. JESUS MADE IT A HABIT TO SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH HIS FATHER - Jesus would always find time to go off and pray.

"Then accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went AS USUAL to the Mount of Olives." (Luke 22:39)

My friend Bob Gass reminds us that prayer is a conversation with God. It is a RELATIONSHIP. "Spending time alone with Him is the secret of knowing Him. I can be anywhere, but it needs to be somewhere, and it needs to be a set time."1 It is one of those necessary disciplines. It may mean changing your schedule or rearranging your priorities, but you need to MAKE IT A HABIT to PRAY.

2. JESUS PRAYED ACCORDING TO HIS FATHER'S WILL.

"He walked away and knelt down and prayed: "Father if you are willing, please take this cup away from me. Yet not my will be done, but yours". Luke 22:41&42

God wants us to understand that if you don't need it yet, he may not supply it. The hardest thing I have found in my spiritual walk is to have patience and simply trust God - waiting for His will to be done.

Paul writes: "Don't worry about anything. Instead PRAY about everything. If you do this you will experience God's peace." Philippians 4:6&7

As humans we find this difficult to do, because we seem to have to sort things out ourselves. We need to know all the answers. We want things our way. When I am in pain, I remember this verse, as I know Jesus didn't particularly like it either, but he was willing to let God's will be done. And with that will came our salvation.

2. JESUS WAS PASSIONATE ABOUT PRAYER.

"He prayed more fervently and He was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood." Luke 22:44

There are times, like Jesus, we need to just look up and cry out to God.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13

Lots of things happen when you seek God with all your heart. Often there are miracles, but even if you miss them, you will grow spiritually as your relationship with God blossoms.

4. JESUS PRAYED THE WORD.

"No the Scriptures say, `People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4

This is only one time in the Gospels where Jesus used the Scriptures - in this case to defeat Satan. The prophecies of His Father were the basis of his ministry, prayers and of course the salvation of the world.

I usually begin my prayer time with the reading from the Psalms. Not only do I love them, but the words are often written in a prayer like form, that make it easier to focus your thoughts on God. I was brought up memorising scripture, but I didn't find this as easy task. So I have a book I put together with thematic verses - if I can't remember, I look up my book. Usually, I know where the verse came from in the Bible, even if not remembering the exact words, so I try to always have my Bible close by.

5. JESUS PRAYED CONFIDENTLY.

"I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who believe in me through their message. I pray that they will be one just as you and I are one - as you are in me Father, and I am in you. May they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me." John 17:20721

What confidence we can have as we pray, when we know that Jesus prayed confidently for us. God has wonderful things in store for us, but only if we believe in Him.

"You have asked nothing in my name. Ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full."

(John 16:24)

6. JESUS TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES TO PRAY.

The greatest reminder of how Jesus prayed and how we should pray are in the Lord's Prayer - the prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray.

In it we find words of adoration and praise, words of confident petition as we seek His will, the promise of forgiveness, and help as we try to forgive others. Finally we are given the courage to fight the devils attacks.

Take this prayer with you every day and make it a discipline as well as a lifestyle, as you seek to PRAY AS JESUS PRAYED.

"Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name

Your Kingdom come, your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day, our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

For thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever.

AMEN.

1. "Praying and Getting Results" (2001) Bob Gass Ministries.