Sos From Jesus' Prayer Life

But this was not to be for the crowds saw him leave by boat and they followed him around the lake. And so we find Jesus, emotionally drained ministering to them all, healing their sick, teaching them and working one of his greatest miracles to feed the crowd gathered. He must have been now now emotionally drained and physically exhausted, but as we’ve already read, after all had been satisfied

Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.

He needed time to be alone with his Father to talk and draw strength. Prayer was his source of strength physically yes, but also emotionally.

But that wasn’t all, prayer also gave Jesus spiritual strength. Where did Jesus Go before his temptation? Into the desert! Right and what did he do there? Fasted. This wasn’t a political hunger fast or something like that? No it was likely that Christ was fasting and praying. Here was an intense period of prayer in preparation the imminent temptations he was to face in the desert and the ongoing temptations he would face through out his ministry. Prayer was his source of strength spiritually.

One more quick example – Jesus needed strength probably no more so than as he neared his death. And where do we find him prior to his betrayal and trial? Praying in the garden of Gethsemene. Did Jesus get strength from Prayer? Yes - In times of exhaustion – physically, emotionally and spiritually, rather than moping around, sleeping or pigging out on chocolate, Jesus committed himself to pray.

Where do you get your strength from? Is it from friends? From secular counsellors? From books? Why not try God? Jesus used him and found that he was reliable and true. Maybe the secret to a fulfilling prayer life is to become dependant on God for our strength.

The last SOS of prayer I want to talk about today very quickly is that Jesus, through prayer was a

3) Seeker Of Sanctification

I’m not meaning through this statement that Christ was in any way sinful and needing to be made pure. Another important part of being sanctified is being set apart for God. It is seeking God’s will for our lives and dedicating ourselves to him. And so we find that before major events in Jesus’ life or before major decisions Jesus prayed.

We’ve already mentioned that after his Baptism and before his temptation (Lk 3:21), he prayed. This was a time of consecration. I can imagine Jesus coming before God and saying I’m yours. Take me and use me in this ministry. What were the temptations he faced? Temptations to choose an easier life, to take an alternate path to that mapped out by God, to do things his way instead of God’s. To counteract these temptations, his prayers would have been prayers of consecration.

What about before the transfiguration. This was a marvellous unveiling of who Jesus really was to his closest disciples Peter, James and John. When did it happen? In the midst of them praying. Listen to Lk 9:28