Jesus Prayers
Jesus Prayers Teaches Us
In the Bible there are six of Jesus
prayers recorded. Some of them are probably fragmentary, since no-one was there to
witness, or record, the events. Such was the Jesus prayer in the 39 And he went a
little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou
wilt. (Mathew 26:39) Jesus prayers were longer. We can be quite sure
that there were more words uttered before - and after - these famous words of
the suffering Lord. But those tender words of Jesus prayers, the words of a man
in agony, are held in sacred confidence between Jesus and the Father. But for
some reason, Jesus has allowed someone, a prophet, seer and revelator, to see
and hear at least that part of this sacred moment. If it wasn’t for that
generosity, we would never have known what was said in
that dreaded night. Now it is an inspiration to us, and a testimony to the
selflessness of Jesus of Nazareth. Some of Jesus prayers were teaching Compassion. Let us look at one
such example: 34 Then said Jesus,
Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do… (Luke 23:34) Hanging on the cross,
ridiculed, knowing that he at this very moment suffered more than anyone else
ever would, he could not bear the thought of his torturous taking the full
punishment of their crime. For some of them it was only an execution. For some,
it was only a lynching. For yet others it was only an opportunity to execute
dammed-up frustrations and anger. But Jesus knew that most of them didn’t know
that they were engaged in the slaughter of the God of Abraham; their own God. He
did not want them to take the consequence of that, unawares. 34 And at the ninth
hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi,
lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:34) Jesus knew exactly what was going to happen during this
day of crucifixion. He knew that the Father would leave his presence, so that also
Jesus would die the spiritual death. In order to overcome that spiritual death,
(spiritual death = to be shut out from the presence of God), he first had to
succumb to it. Later he would enter into the presence of his Father in Glory!
He knew this. He didn’t need to ask in order to know! But by asking, all
mankind would learn that the Father had actually retracted from Jesus, leaving
him to bear everything all on his own. So this, the second of Jesus prayers on
the cross, was a brilliant way to teach
us! 46 And when Jesus
had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my
spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost. (Luke 23:46) Jesus taught that God is in complete control! Once again he was
teaching us! What was he teaching? He was teaching that he has total control over life and death. He decides the moment. Nobody takes his life, and by this
jeopardize the great plan of happiness. He also teaches that man consists
of both body and spirit. He wants us to know that the body and the spirit is
the soul of man. All the short prayers of Jesus give proof of mercy and
intelligence. It is clear that the realization that his mission as a teacher is
not over until he has drawn his last breath is not dimmed by his suffering. Now, let us look at
‘the Lord’s Prayer’. It is a very often repeated prayer, and one might wonder
if this is what Jesus had in mind when he taught his disciples to pray. That’s
how it was. The disciples asked him to teach them how to pray, and this is the
reply: 9 After this manner
therefore pray ye: Our Father
which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day
our daily bread. 12 And forgive us
our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13 And lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (Mathew 6:9-13) There is something that seems to have escaped almost every
reader
of this passage of scripture; this is not the pattern of a personal prayer, but
rather, the pattern of a public prayer. Jesus could just as well have said: After this manner pray
ye when ye meet together. On what is this
conclusion based? Look at verse 11; give us
this day our daily bread.. and verse 12; forgive us
our debts as we forgive our debtors..
and verse 13; lead us
not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. There is a big
difference between the personal prayer and the public. There is not one single
‘I’, ‘Me’ or ‘Mine’ in the
Jesus Prayer, as there shouldn’t be in a public prayer. The person offering up
a prayer in public is but the mouth of the congregation, and therefore, the
‘I’, and the ‘Me’, and ‘Mine’, have no place. But look at one of
Jesus prayers in private, offered up just before they enter into 1 THESE words spake Jesus, and lifted up his
eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy
Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given
him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou
hast given him. 3 And this is life
eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom
thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father,
glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory
which I had with thee before the
world was. 6 I have manifested thy name unto the
men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. 7 Now they have
known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. 8 For I have given unto them the words which
thou gavest me; and they have received them, and
have known surely that I came out
from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. 9 I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them
which thou hast given me; for they
are thine. 10 And all mine are thine, and thine
are mine; and I am glorified in them. 11 And now I am no more in the world, but these
are in the world, and I come to
thee. Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one,
as we are. 12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that
thou gavest me I
have kept, and none of them
is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 And now come I to thee; and these things I
speak in the world, that they might have my
joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them thy word; and the
world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. 15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the
world, but that thou shouldest
keep them from the evil. 16 They are not of
the world, even as I am not of the
world. 17 Sanctify them
through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18 As thou hast sent
me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19 And for their
sakes I sanctify myself, that they
also might be sanctified through the truth. 20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may
be one; as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee, that they also may be
one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory
which thou gavest me I
have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in
one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. 24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast
given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory,
which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst
me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father,
the world hath not known thee: but I
have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and
will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and
I in them. (John 17: 1-26) If there would have been a listener present, other than
God and angels, Jesus prayer would have been quite different. If not, it would
have offended the listener tremendously, unless, of course, the listener was one of
the elect of God. Also note the length of the prayer. A personal prayer can
be as long as it needs to be, whilst a public prayer will start to bore people
after a short while. It’s a great thing to ask ourselves the question; how
would Jesus have done it? And he has given us the answer by example!
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