I once had a professor who brought me great joy whenever he would pray. The joy I had was not because he was praying for me; it was because his prayers seemed so different from the prayers to which I was accustomed. For me, prayer often seemed boring and routine. There was the maintenance of thanking God for some stuff (most often food), asking for safety and health, and then maybe sometimes apologizing for sins that I was aware that I had committed. For this professor, though, it was very different. It was as if he was deeply in tune with God. It was reverent, and yet conversational. It was deep and moving, yet very personal. His prayers reflected a life that was deeply connected to God and deeply committed to aligning with what mattered most to God.
For all of us, our prayers say something about who we are and what we value. When we pray only in times of crisis, this reveals what we think of God’s role in our lives. When we pray only for safety and health, this reveals what we think is most important. When we have great gaps with no prayer at all, this reveals the importance we place on being connected to God. This is why I am so impacted anytime I am in the presence of someone whose prayers reflect a powerful connection with God.
But what about being in the presence of Jesus while He prayed? What would that be like? What would we learn about Him, about God, about what is important, and about ourselves? This Sunday we will get to walk through the longest recorded prayer of Jesus, as He prepared to fulfill His ultimate purpose. Come prepared to learn how Jesus declassifies God through His prayer, and also to learn how His prayer reveals what He values most for all of us.
Dan
No comments:
Post a Comment