Week Of Prayer – Week 3
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June 6 – Matthew 6:7-13
This week we will look at Jesus’ prayers in the Gospels. We begin with the prayer that He taught His disciples to pray. In contrast to the pagans’ prayers, Jesus said pray this way.
7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
This simple prayer covers the bases. It offers praise and honor to the holy name of the Father. It continues in praise in wholeheartedly seeking God’s will and kingdom to fully come. It asks that our needs will be met including forgiveness as we forgive others. It asks for the power to resist temptation and to be rescued from the prevalence of evil in our world. This prayer of total surrender is to be prayed slowly and mindfully. How does this prayer speak your heart to the Father?
June 7 – Matthew 26:36-46
We are given Jesus’ prayer of total surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was one last battle with the Enemy where He wrestled in great torment to win the victory. Jesus’ surrender to go to the cross was won as He totally surrendered Himself to His Father’s will.
36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” 40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!” 42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. 44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”
Jesus did ask for what He wanted- for the cup of death to be bypassed, but that was not the end of His prayer. Each time, He submitted Himself to doing His Father’s will. What area of your life are you asking for something to be done but need to ultimately ask for God’s will to be done?
June 8 – Luke 10:21
Jesus offered a prayer of thanksgiving after the 72 disciples went out two by two to do ministry in Jesus’ name. They met great success as the evil spirits even obeyed as they spoke in the power of Jesus’ name.
21 At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.”
Jesus was joyful over the success of those who went out in ministry serving in His name. In the same way, Jesus has tremendous joy when we faithfully carry out the mission He has given us. Such power comes from humility not a prestigious position as the religious leaders thought themselves to have. How are you bringing joy to Jesus by the way you humbly go about living out your ministry?
June 9 – John 17:1-8
The Gospel of John gives us this amazing prayer that Jesus offered on the night before His death. We get to see what was on His mind and in His heart before He went to the cross. This chapter contains three different audiences for which He prayed. He began with Himself.
After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. 5 Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began. 6 “I have revealed you to the ones you gave me from this world. They were always yours. You gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8 for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.
Jesus prays with tremendous warmth to His Father expressing His heart’s desire to bring Him glory. In fact, Jesus could confidently pray that He had brought glory to His Father by completing the work God had given Him to do. May that be our deepest desire and our daily prayer to bring God the glory by faithfully completing the ministry that He has given us to do. What has God given you to do to bring Him glory today?
June 10 – John 17:9-19
Jesus turns His prayer focus to His disciples. He describes them as given to Him but belonging to the Father.
9 “My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 All who are mine belong to you, and you have given them to me, so they bring me glory. 11 Now I am departing from the world; they are staying in this world, but I am coming to you. Holy Father, you have given me your name; now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are. 12 During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. 13 “Now I am coming to you. I told them many things while I was with them in this world so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do. 17 Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. 18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself as a holy sacrifice for them so they can be made holy by your truth.
As Jesus was preparing to leave them, He committed His disciples to the Father so they would be faithful as He prayed for His disciples’ protection, unity, safety from the evil one, and to be made holy by the word of truth and Christ’s sacrifice. We see Jesus’ love expressed for His very own as He knew they would face tremendous stress and pressure in this world. How does Jesus’ prayer for His disciples encourage you today?
June 11 – John 17:20-26
Jesus turned His focus to all future believers. Jesus prayed specifically for us!
20 “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 21 I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. 22 “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. 23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. 24 Father, I want these whom you have given me to be with me where I am. Then they can see all the glory you gave me because you loved me even before the world began! 25 “O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”
Jesus’ passionate prayer was that we would be perfectly united together just as the Father and Son are united as One. This is so that our testimony to the world will know that Jesus was sent by the Father and that the we are loved by the Father just as much as the Father loves Jesus. This is incredible news that we are loved so extravagantly. How does Jesus’ prayer for you inspire you to go about your day?
June 12 – Blue Grass’ Prayer
Now that we have looked at Jesus’ prayer over the past three days, we can clearly see where the content and themes of the Blue Grass’ Prayer have come.
“O Glorious One, we pray that we would bring you glory by completing the work you have entrusted to us. As we go about your ministry and mission, may we know the full measure of Jesus’ joy. As we go about your work in a hostile world, we plead that you would protect us from the evil one who wants to destroy your work in us. And by the power of your word, we ask you would make us holy, a pure bride for our coming Groom. Keep us in love and unity with one another to be a positive witness to the world so they might believe that Jesus is the way to life. We deeply desire to be known as your people so that we can always be with you and see your glory both on earth and in heaven. Amen.”