The Beautiful Life of Prayer
by Rev Shola Olayemi
The Request That Changed Everything
The disciples made a profound request that reveals the heart of spiritual learning:
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1 NKJV)
Teaching to pray is much more impactful than teaching how to pray. The disciples did not simply want instruction; they wanted to learn the essence and spirit of prayer as demonstrated by their Master.
Why We Should Follow Jesus in Prayer
One of the reasons why you should pray is because Jesus committed Himself to praying. This commitment reveals the priority He placed on communion with the Father, even in His divine nature.
The Twelve P's of Following Jesus
To truly walk as Jesus walked, we must understand and embrace various aspects of His character and ministry:
- Personality of Jesus: The fruits of the Spirit are the personality traits of Jesus
- Plans of Jesus: His plans should be reflected in your life
- Purposes of Jesus
- Priority of Jesus
- Perspective of Jesus
- Preferences of Jesus
- Principles/Protocols/Processes of Jesus
- Paternity of Jesus
- Power of Jesus
- Pre-eminence of Jesus: The authority of Jesus
- Provisions of Jesus
- Pronouncement of Jesus: Commit to pronouncing in the midst of situations what Jesus will pronounce
- Prohibitions of Jesus
- Practices/Patterns of Jesus
Scripture confirms this calling:
"He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked." (1 John 2:6 NKJV)
The Role of the Holy Spirit
Our only chance of being like Jesus is through the help of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. The essence is for you to be aware of why you have the Holy Spirit. It is wisdom to pay attention and to also take note of the truth coming to us at the time.
Jesus' Documented Practices
Just like we have the Acts of the Apostles, Jesus also has practices which involve but are not limited to:
- Always being in fellowship
- Going to synagogue to preach
- Healing
- Casting out devils
- Raising of the dead
- Praying
The Foundation of Quality Christianity
Quality Christianity is a product of quality prayer life. It is not flamboyant or showing off but rather stability, establishment, and performance of the truth.
The kind of things that the Holy Spirit does are the things that can be seen in the life of Jesus and other people who are spirit filled. You cannot know the move of the Spirit if you do not know the kind of things the Spirit does in the Scriptures.
The key to knowing the voice of the Holy Spirit is that it registers in your consciousness the kind of things that He does as documented and revealed by the Scriptures.
Jesus' Consistent Prayer Pattern
Scripture reveals Jesus' unwavering commitment to prayer:
"So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed." (Luke 5:16 NKJV)
Because Jesus has patterns, people can pick up healings from Him because they did not need His permission to do them. It has become His pattern and practices.
Specific Examples of Jesus' Prayer Life
Evening Prayer
"Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there." (Matthew 14:22-23 NKJV)
Early Morning Prayer
"Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed." (Mark 1:35 NKJV)
Prayer After Ministry
"Immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, to Bethsaida, while He sent the multitude away. And when He had sent them away, He departed to the mountain to pray." (Mark 6:45-46 NKJV)
Prayer Before Major Decisions
"Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6:12 NKJV)
Jesus did not choose the disciples until He prayed. Do not make any meaningful or life changing choices in your life without prayer.
"Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor." (Luke 6:12-16 NKJV)
Prayer in Solitude
"And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, 'Who do the crowds say that I am?'" (Luke 9:18 NKJV)
Conclusion
Learning prayer from Jesus means adopting His patterns and practices as our own. His consistent withdrawal for prayer, His all night prayer sessions before major decisions, and His regular communion with the Father demonstrate that quality Christianity flows from quality prayer life. Through the Holy Spirit's help, we can walk as Jesus walked, making prayer not just an activity but a way of life that shapes our character, decisions, and ministry effectiveness.
