Considering the role of prayer in the life and work of New Testament preachers will challenge us to greater devotion and closer communion with God. The significance of prayer among early saints can be traced to Jesus, where we will focus our attention in this brief look at personal prayer.<\/p>\n
Our Savior’s instruction about prayer is far more comprehensive than an occasional example of what to say. He, above all others, understood the value of communication with His Father. Having accepted a position of dependence upon the Father, He demonstrated the importance of prayer (see Hebrews 5:7). Prayer was a key to the strength of Jesus in making decisions, facing grief, enduring trials, and advancing confidently into the jaws of death. If Jesus needed frequent and fervent prayer to endure His earthly sojourn, how can we expect to survive with less?<\/p>\n
Most of what we learn from Jesus about prayer is by observing His habits of private devotion. This article is not about leading public prayer or preparing lessons for others; it considers a more fundamental aspect of preaching. Following the footsteps of Jesus will lead us to devote considerable time and effort to communicating alone with God-addressing Him in prayer and listening as He speaks in the Word.<\/p>\n
As He prayed, Jesus consistently sought solitude in place and time. One wonders how many miles He walked and how many mountains He scaled to be alone with His Father. Jesus seemed to prefer the surroundings of natural beauty when praying, choosing settings that would remind Him of the majesty of God instead of the corruption of men. Many of the Master’s prayers were uttered at times of day which would generally be free from intrusion. He prayed early in the morning, late at night, and even all night. When forced to choose between praying and sleeping, Jesus would pray.<\/p>\n
Jesus met special circumstances with special emphasis on prayer. He prayed when facing major decisions (Luke 6:12-13). He prayed when preparing for tough teaching which had the potential to alienate followers (Luke 9:18-27). He prayed after completing major tasks (John 17:4). He prayed at times of special trials and temptations (Matthew 26:36-44). I am awed at the self-control and determination of Jesus as He emerged from Gethsemane and marched without hesitation up Calvary’s trail of tragedy and triumph. In reflecting on that resolute power of Jesus, we are forced to see the power in prayer.<\/p>\n
Jesus prayed when He was busiest. When pressed by the eager and needy multitude, Jesus withdrew to pray (Luke 5:15-16). He taught His apostles the need to get away from the demands of their work for rest and prayer (Mark 6:30-32, 46; Luke 9:10,18).temptation and grief (consider Matthew 14:23-25 in context). How often do we fail, not because of unbearable stress or “burnout” or malicious brethren, but because we don’t take time to get away from it all to pray?<\/p>\n
Let’s close with a few specific suggestions gleaned from a study of the Scriptures and the helpful advice of others – suggestions that can help all of us grow closer to God and more determined in spreading the gospel.<\/p>\n
Make appointments with God – and keep them! Set aside a time free of interruptions for serious prayer and introspective study of God’s word. If necessary, get up an hour earlier to meet with God before facing the tasks of the day.<\/p>\n
Pray with your eyes open so you can read from a list of people and things to pray about. Note the needs of others and the reasons you’re thankful for those people. Thumb through a church directory and pray about each member of your local family.<\/p>\n
Mix reading with prayer. Take breaks from talking with God to listen to Him. Read – ponder – pray.<\/p>\n
Do as you pray. Praying for someone is the most you can do, but don’t forget to look for little ways you can help to meet their needs.<\/p>\n
Make a regular investment of time and energy in prayer. Don’t forget the apostles’ example: “We will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Dennis Allan Christianity Magazine March 1989 Considering the role of prayer in the life and work of New Testament preachers will challenge us to greater devotion and closer communion with God. The significance of prayer among early saints can be traced to Jesus, where we will focus our attention in this brief look at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[1510,1511],"class_list":["post-38053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-prayers","tag-preachers"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":29528,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/jesus-and-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":38053,"position":0},"title":"Jesus and Prayer","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 5, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeff Wolverton Sentry Magazine, December 2002 Jesus as Our Intercessor The intercession of the Holy Spirit does not set aside the intercession of Jesus Christ. \"And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":59568,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-simple-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":38053,"position":1},"title":"A Simple Prayer","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 24, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by L.A. Stauffer via The Jackson Drive Reporter, March 15, 2009. Bible students may be struck with amazement that a body of Jewish followers would ask Jesus to teach them to pray. These were men of a nation that grew up with prayer. It was a staple of their home\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3866,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/on-praying-to-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":38053,"position":2},"title":"On Praying to Jesus","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 6, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Nathan Ward If you haven\u2019t yet, you will likely encounter a person who believes Christians should not pray to Jesus. The position is often accompanied by what seems like reasonable logic, at least on a surface level. We ought not to pray to Jesus, it is said, because he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9641,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/could-you-give-a-sample-prayer-for-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":38053,"position":3},"title":"Could you give a sample prayer for the Lord’s Supper?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 2, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Could you give a sample prayer giving thanks for the communion or Lords' supper? Answer: I'm not a poetic person, so I dislike giving one of my own prayers as an example. Instead, let's focus on what a prayer before partaking of the Lord's Supper should include: The Lord's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":34429,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/must-a-prayer-be-said-before-eating-a-meal\/","url_meta":{"origin":38053,"position":4},"title":"Must a prayer be said before eating a meal?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Is it good to say grace before eating a meal whether it be big or small?\u00a0 Would it be a sin if I don't give thanks to God before eating? Answer: Being thankful to God is important. We need to express in prayer your recognition of where our blessings\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":84905,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/prayer-and-devotion\/","url_meta":{"origin":38053,"position":5},"title":"Prayer and Devotion","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Larry White via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 4, December 31, 1987 We pray little because we desire little. A full soul, full of the world and fat on the plenty and pride of this world, will not be a praying soul. He requires nothing. The hungry soul longs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38053"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38053\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}