What did Jesus say about prayer?

• Jesus taught his disciples to pray, and gave them a model prayer. We know it as “The Lord’s prayer”, the “Our Father”, or Paternoster, (see saying  17 )
  
  “This, then, is how you should pray;Our Father in heaven,
  hallowed be Your Name,
  Your Kingdom come,
  Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
  Give us today our daily bread,
  forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
  and lead us not into temptation,
  but deliver us from the evil one.
  For Yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever.
  Amen.”     ( Matthew 6:9-13,  Luke 11:1-4 )
  
  
• Jesus teaches that prayer should be private, not a public performance.  “Fast and pray to God in private, not to impress others” (Matt 6: 5,6) (Saying 16)
  
• “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.”  The parable was about a persistent widow, appealing to the judge.  (Luke 18:1-8 )
  
• Jesus made the same point about persistence in prayer with another story about a persistent neighbour, requesting supplies for an unexpected guest.  (Luke 11:5-13)
  
• Jesus taught that prayer is personal, not a matter of thoughtless repetition.  (Matt 6:7, 8.)
  
• Jesus taught that God is generous, like a Father who wants to give good things to his children when they ask him!  (Matt 7:9-11) (Saying 25)
  
• Jesus warned against arrogance and pride, in coming to God, and commended humility. “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable.“  (Luke 18:9-14) (Saying 3)
  
• Jesus taught that we should pray for our enemies! (Matt 5:43-47) (Saying 14)
  
• At his time of severe trial, Jesus urged his disciples to stay alert and keep praying to avoid falling into temptation. (Matt 26:40-41) 
  
• Jesus’ habit was to get up early, and find a solitary place to pray.   (Mark 1:35)
  
• After a strenuous period of fruitful ministry, Jesus planned a retreat with his disciples. He said, “Come with me to a quiet place and rest awhile.”  (Mark 6:31,  Luke 5:15-16)
  
• Jesus praises God.  Jesus prayed to God with these words; “I praise you , Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to children.” (Matt 11: 25) In addressing God, Jesus combined the cosmic understanding of God as the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe with the personal knowledge of God as Father. We may follow his example in our own circumstances; “I praise you, Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth, because…”

Get ready to pray;

(Other words about prayer.)

• Be still and know that I am God.   (Psalm 46:10)
  
• “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. ” (Psalm 95: 6, 9.)
  
• Samuel was taught to hear the voice of God, and to pray; “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”   (1Samuel 3:8-10)
  
• Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel’s momentous message: “I am the Lord’s servant. Whatever He says, I accept.” (Luke 1:38 Barklay)
  
• Wise advice; “Pray as you can, not as you can’t!”   (Romans 8:25-27)

Now let us pray!

(Some famous prayers.)

• The Jesus prayer;
  Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.  (see Jesus’ story of two men praying;  (Luke 18:9-14)
  
• The prayer of Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)
  Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
  -where there is hatred, let me sow love;
  -where there is injury, pardon;
  -where there is doubt, faith;
  -where there is despair, hope;
  -where there is darkness, light;
  -where there is sadness, joy.
  O Divine Master,
  grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
  to be understood, as to understand;
  to be loved, as to love;
  for it is giving that we receive,
  it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
  and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.  Amen.
  
• The Serenity Prayer
  God grant me the serenity
  to accept the things I cannot change;
  courage to change the things I can;
  and wisdom to know the difference,
  living one day at a time;
  enjoying one moment at a time;
  accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
  taking, as He did, this sinful world
  as it is, not as I would have it;
  trusting that He will make all things right
  if I surrender to His Will;
  that I may be reasonably happy in this life
  and supremely happy with Him
  forever in the next.
  Amen.             – Reinhold Niebuhr 1943 
  
• Search me, O God, and know my heart;
  Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
  See if there is any offensive way in me,
  And lead me in the way everlasting.   (Psalm 139: 23, 24)
  
• God be in my head and in my understanding;
  God be in my eyes and in my looking;
  God be in my mouth and in my speaking;
  God be in my heart and in my thinking;
  God be at my end and at my departing
  (From a Book of Hours, a 1514 service book used in Clare College, Cambridge) 
  
• Day by day, day by day,
  O Dear Lord, three things I pray.
  To see thee more clearly.
  Love thee more dearly.
  Follow thee more nearly.
  Day by Day. (from the musical, Godspell, 1971; based on the prayer of Richard of Chichester, 1197-1253)
  
• The prayer of Augustine, Bishop of Hippo (354-430)
  O Thou, who art the light of the minds that know Thee,
  the life of the hearts that love Thee,
  and the strength of the wills that serve Thee,
  help us, so to know Thee, that we might fully love Thee,
  so to love Thee that we may fully serve Thee,
  whom to serve is perfect freedom,
  through Jesus Christ our Lord,  Amen.
  
• The priestly blessing of Aaron;
  The Lord bless you and keep you;
  The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.  (Numb 6:22-27)
  
• A Benediction;
  May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,  and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.  (2 Cor 13:14)

Open Hands – a meditation;

(To view this meditation on a separate page, click “Open hands.”)