One time, after Jesus prayed, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1-10).
Why did they ask to be taught how to pray after seeing Jesus prayed? One of the reasons must be because they see Jesus’ prayer life made such an extraordinary impact. They looked closely, Jesus was so wise, powerful, full of the glory of the Father, it was because of His prayer life.
They probably thought to themselves, if only they could have a life of prayer as Jesus, surely they could be like Jesus, full of the glory of the Father. That’s why they asked Jesus to teach them to pray as Himself. And Jesus taught them.
The first most important thing from the teachings of Jesus is the mental picture of Jesus about the prayer that He had. He says in verse 10:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
That is the mental picture that Jesus has about prayer, that every time He asks the Father, He surely receives. Everytime He seeks, He surely finds. Every time He knocks, the door surely is opened for Him.
That is why He prayed with confidence, both when He faced various needs in everyday life, and even for His ministry’s needs. Both in praying for the sick, even the dead. Facing the devil or even a raging nature. He was so calm and confident when He prayed, something ought to happen according to His prayer.
In Mark 11:23-24, He also said :
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
Jesus has a mental picture about prayer, that when He prays, he has received what He prayed for, even before He actually received it.
The mental picture of Jesus about prayer is really different from the mental picture of Christians about prayer. Most Christians have a very negative mental picture about prayer. That is why Christians do not like to pray because they think: praying is hard, we are not sure that our prayers are going to be answered. Not only that, but we also are not sure whether our prayers are listened or not.
If it is heard and answered, we do not know how long it is going to be answered. Sometimes up to ten years. Not to mention they are disappointed because their prayers are not answered, something worse happened in their lives. That’s the mental picture most Christians have about prayer. That is why the prayer of Jesus and the prayer of Christians have different results.
Jesus said in John 11:41-42,
Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always.
That is the mental picture of Jesus about prayer, that when He prayed, Father has listened to Him and Father always listens to him.
Perhaps you say, “Yes, if Jesus prayed, Father surely hears Him. Father certainly gives what He asks. Because Jesus is the Son of God.” Then whose children are you?
Let me quote again Luke 11:10. This is the mental picture that Jesus has about prayer:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Notice Jesus said this law applies to every person. This law not only applies to Jesus or to the well-known pastor. This law applies to every person.
Everyone who asks surely receives, everyone who seeks surely finds, everyone who knocks the door surely is opened for him.
Can you imagine if all Christians pray with mental pictures like this? Our prayers will be definitely different! The result will be certainly different! We will be able to live as Jesus lived and produce the same impact as Jesus’.
Let’s change our mental picture of prayer that is false and unproductive. Have the same mentality of prayer like the mental picture of Jesus about prayer and be prepared to be amazed to see Father answers our prayers. As long as the mental picture is not replaced, our prayer life will not change. But if we make the decision to replace the existing mental picture, then our prayer life will change.
Happy new year! Keep praying! Good luck seeing the results!
Also read: A Child or A King?
