The Love of Jesus Prayer

Father, this day as I rise, let me put on the love of Jesus.

I put on compassion.
I put on patience.
I put on gentleness
I put on a listening that heals.
I put on rejoicing in others.
I put on forgiveness.
I put on healing the sick.
I put on delivering the insane.
I put on comforting the needy.
I put on giving to the poor.
I put on lowering myself.
I put on declaring justice.

May I create peace where there is no peace.
May I create hope where there is no hope.
May I create a place of mercy for all who are in need.
May I make a sanctuary for those whom the world means only pain.

Jesus' Prayer Life

I consider the practices Jesus had of prayer to be a solid example of prayer.  Jesus told us to imitate him in all things, and certainly prayer is no exception.  Some Christians may have other practices of prayer, which is fine, but this seems to be a good one.

Daily Prayer
Jesus was a good Jew, and like all good Jews he prayed multiple times a day.  In the ancient world, Jews prayed two times a day (morning and evening prayers), or in some times and places (like first century Jerusalem), three times a day (morning, noon and evening).  These regular prayers consisted of:

1. The Shema
"The Lord is our Lord, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength." (Based on Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

2. Some version of the Eighteen Benedictions
Jesus later replaced the 18 Benedictions with the related, but more compact, gospel-oriented Lord's Prayer:

"Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'"
 (Luke 11:2-4)

3. Daily requests
Probably done during a main time of prayer, either the evening or noon prayer.

These prayers could be done by oneself or with others in a synagogue.

Regular Practices
1. Brief prayer
Jesus taught that prayer did not need to be long, especially since long prayers often call attention to oneself.  (Matt. 6:7-8)

2. Direct prayers
Jesus taught not to elongate or to have unnecessarily repetitious prayer.  Of course, the Lord's Prayer is a repeated prayer, but Jesus isn't speaking against liturgy, here, but against repeating the same words over and over.  "God already knows," Jesus says, "saying it once is sufficient to make the request." (Matt 6:7-8)

3. Secret prayer
Jesus commanded prayer in secret.  This did not mean that all prayer should be private, as the Lord's prayer and many prayers Jesus spoke were public.  But Jesus warned against all prayers being public, because prayer could be a display for others in that circumstance, and not actual speech to God. (A good warning for  religious leaders.)  (Matthew 6:6)

4. Public prayer
Jesus commanded some public prayer, such as the Lord's prayer which implies it to be done with others ("Our Father"; "give us our daily bread").

5. Spoken prayer
All the prayers we have of Jesus were spoken aloud.  Even Jesus' most private prayer "Take this cup from me" was spoken aloud. (Matt. 11:25; Mark 14:36)

Although it is not significant, the only physical position Jesus' mentions for prayer is standing. (Matt. 6:5; Luke 18:11, 13).  The only position mentioned for Jesus was on the ground (Mark 14:35), although this seems an exception.

Occasional Prayer
1. Communion with the Father
Jesus sought to spend time with God the Father as often, as he could.  During his regular ministry, it was difficult to get time alone with God, so he would occasionally get up before everyone else to pray, or send everyone away in order to have an hour with God.  His life was so busy that it wasn't always possible, and his communion time was often cut short.  (Mark 1:35; Mark 6:45-46)

2. Fasting
Of course, Jesus spent one time in fasting and prayer for 40 days before his ministry.  In this time, it seems that he didn't eat for the full period of time, but he did drink water.  (Luke 4:1-4)
      It was a common Jewish practice to spend one day a week (Friday) in fasting since the time of the Babylonian exile.  It seems that Jesus did not participate in this fast, but he suggested that his followers would participate in this practice after he was no longer with them (Luke 5:33-35).  Jesus expected his disciples to fast, which is why he gave instructions for them not to display their fasting practice to others (Matthew 6:16-18).

3. All night prayer
There were two nights in which Jesus prayed all night.  Once when he was making the decision as to who would be the 12 apostles.  The second on the night before his arrest and death.  The first seems to be a time in which Jesus needed the Father's direct guidance.  The second, as Jesus told his three closest disciples, was in order to be prepared for the time of trial that was to come. (Luke 6:12-13; Mark 14:32-42)

4. Declarative prayer
On occasion, Jesus would just proclaim an impromptu praise, or a public prayer for others.  Jesus would also use portions of the Lord's prayer as the basis for prayer in his own words.  Jesus' prayer was sometimes based on liturgy and sometimes completely spontaneous. (Matthew 11:25-26; John 17)


All kinds of Christian practice come from this pattern of prayer.  However, there is little that we can use here to condemn others. The only practices Jesus actually commanded is the use of the Lord's prayer and the practice of isolated prayer. Apart from that, there is much freedom for all Christian practice of prayer, including spontaneous prayer and liturgical prayer; forty days of fasting and no fasting; all night prayer and brief prayer.  Like Jesus, it might be good that our prayer practices vary and depend on the circumstance.

Listening Not Fretting

Jesus and his disciples traveled through a village and a woman named Martha offered them hospitality.  Martha's sister Mary didn't help Martha at all, but instead sat at Jesus feet as he taught his disciples, listening.  Martha, of course, was busy with all the preparations one must make to host thirteen people.

Martha came up to Jesus and said, "Lord, why have you let my sister leave me to do all the work by myself?  Tell her to get off her butt and help me."

Jesus answered, shaking his head, "Martha, Martha. You fret and worry about so many things.  Only one thing is really necessary and Mary has chosen the better part.  This will never be taken from her."

(Paraphrase of Luke 10:38-42)


It is amazing how much time I spend worrying about the mundane.  As the head of a church for the homeless, I want to make sure that I have enough food for everyone, and to make sure that we have enough money to pay the rent and the bills.  And I want to make sure that there's enough toilet paper and groceries for the house... and on and on.  Half my life is spend being concerned on whether there is "enough" to go around.

Jesus tells me clearly that I should stop focusing on if I have "enough."  There are bigger fish to fry.  Just like Jesus told Martha "You are concerned about many things, but Mary has chosen the better part."  The better part isn't doctrine, and Jesus is not rejecting service or hospitality.

The point is this: Jesus wants me to spend more time with Him and less time on fretting.  I need to do what I can do and let the rest go.  And if I stop fretting, perhaps I can spend more time in prayer and let the world turn without me tonight. 

Everything Jesus Said About Prayer

Well, maybe not everything, but here are all of Jesus' major teachings on prayer:

John 15:7

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you

Luke 11:1-13

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." And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'" Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

Matthew 6:5-13

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is 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. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Mark 11:22-25

"Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. "But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."

Luke 18:2-8

"In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, 'Give me legal protection from my opponent.' For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.'" And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said; now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them? I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

Luke 18:10-14

 Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Mark 12:38-40

Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows' houses, and for appearance's sake offer long prayers; these will receive greater condemnation."

Matthew 5:44-45

But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Matthew 26:36-41

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me." And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

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John 16:23-27

Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf; for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.

Praying Like Jesus

Jesus’ Life:

Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; Luke 6:12-13; Matthew 26:36
In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."
Jesus was a person who was characterized by prayer. He often didn’t have time to do it, but he took time anyway. He often had to hide from others, so they wouldn’t distract him from prayer. Sometimes he prayed all night long so that he could have time to be with the Father. Usually, his prayers were short, but at times they lasted hours and hours—depending on the situation. But his life was surrounded by prayer, drenched in prayer and thus focused on the Father.

Our Lives:

Acts 1:24; 2:42; 4:31; 6:4,6;10:9; 13:3; 14:23; 21:5
When they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray.
After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another.
The early church was charatartized by prayer. They would meet together, or they would do it separately, but they would pray. They had apostles whom they cared for so that the apostles’ work would be to teach and pray. No one was accepted into the church or appointed to a task in the church unless they were prayed over. In prayer the leaders of the church would hear the Spirit at times, and that would guide the church. Thus, the life of the church was drenched in prayer.

Luke 11:1-13
Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened.
When we pray, we need not pray long, but we must be persistent in praying until we hear an answer from the Lord. The main thing we need to pray is for the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives—justice, the Holy Spirit, the kingdom of God, enough to eat, deliverance from the evil one. And even if it takes a while for the Lord to answer, he will answer and give us what is good for us.

Matthew 6:5-8
When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
We should not pray for the purpose of others. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t pray before others, but it does mean that we shouldn’t pray so that they will be impressed with us. Also, we should not pray in a long-winded way, as if the length of our prayer makes any difference. What is significant to the Lord is our humility and faith in coming to Him—not how impressive our prayers are.

Mark 11:22-26
I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
In our prayer, the most significant thing to have is faith. We need to be devoted to God and we need to believe that what God says is true. If we hold to that, then no matter how ridiculous our prayer seem, our prayers will be answered. And if we want to be accepted by God, which is what an answered prayer is, then we need to accept others. We need to offer anyone who repents forgiveness and acceptance, even if they have done us wrong, or else we will not be accepted by God. As long as we have humility, forgiveness and faith, then we will be listened to.

John 15:7
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
The promises and commands of Jesus are essential for us to understand and fulfill if we are to gain answered prayers. We must be full of faith and obedience, and then the Lord will listen to our prayers.

Examples:
There isn’t a saint of God alive or dead that if they made any significant impact for God through Jesus on earth, it was done through prayer. Anthony defeated demons in the wilderness through prayer. Francis spent most of his time in prayer, seeking the desire of Jesus. Martin Luther King Jr. prayed on the steps of city hall in Birmingham, and so was able to stop a crowd of men from beating him. George Mueller wouldn’t tell his needs to men, but God and so all his needs were met. Jim Elliot prayed for the Indian peoples for years before he was martyred by them and so they were delivered into Jesus years after his death. Again and again, we see that the people of God who reformed the world, or even their own lives, did so only through prayer.

Living it Out:
Pray without ceasing
We need to pray daily, both the prayer the Lord told us to pray and our own personal prayers to the Lord. This doesn’t mean that we need to never stop praying, it means that we need to pray regularly, every day, twice a day and never stopping our routine—as difficult as it is.

Pray the Lord’s Prayer
The Lord Jesus taught us how to pray. Let’s use it, improvise on it, apply it to our lives daily.

Don’t be discouraged
Even if a prayer doesn’t seem to be answered, we must not be discouraged. Sometimes we have to wait a long time for God to answer our prayer—but we need to keep praying so to display that we have the faith to trust in Him no matter what.

Pray for your enemies
If you really despise someone, pray for that one. It may not change their attitude, but it may change yours!

Pray briefly unless you need to
It is good to take time to pray. But if you don’t have anything to say, don’t force prayer. It is better not to set a time to prayer, either a limit or an extended period of time. Allow your need and God's need determine how long you pray.

Be respectful before God
Our Lord is the king of the universe. Don’t be silly. Don’t treat him like your “buddy”. Treat him like your king—with the respect he deserves.

Jesus and Prayer

Mark 1:35-38

Jesus struggled with time to pray alone. He prayed with his disciples, and he showed his devotion to Yahweh by reciting the “Shema” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) daily. But to be able to listen to the Father and gain strength by praying alone was hard to get. To do this, sometimes he would get up before anyone else, sometimes he would tell everyone to go away, sometimes he would stay up after everyone was asleep. But as often as he could, he sought time with the Father.

Prayer for Mercy

Holy Father
Allow us to be transformed into your mercy
And so be your living reflection.
May your mercy pass through our souls to our neighbors.
Help our eyes to be merciful
So we do not judge by appearances
But look for what is beautiful in our neighbor’s souls.
Help our ears to be merciful
So we give heed to our neighbor’s needs
Not being indifferent to their moanings.
Help our tongues to be merciful
So we never speak negatively of another
But have words of comfort for all.
Help our hands to be merciful
So that we do good to our neighbors
And take up ourselves the more difficult tasks.
Help our feet to be merciful
Overcoming our own weariness
Hurrying to assist our neighbors.
Help our hearts to be merciful
So we feel the sufferings of our neighbors
And refuse our hearts to no one.
May we be locked into the merciful heart of Jesus.

What You Give to The, Give It To Me

"Whatever you make me desire for my enemies, give it to them and give the same back to me. You who are the true light, lighten their darkness. You who are the whole truth, correct their errors. You who are the incarnate word, give life to their souls. Tender Lord Jesus, let me not be a stumbling block to them nor a rock of offense. I beg your mercy on my fellow slaves. Let them be reconciled with you and through you be reconciled to me."
-Anselm of Canterbury

Jesus' Pain and our Own

"Dear Lord, you suffered so much pain in order to save me and all mankind from sin. Yet I find it hard to bear even this little pain in my body. Lord, because of your great pain, have mercy on my little pain. And if you wish me simply to bear the pain, send me the patience and the courage that I lack."
-Margery Kempe