Daily Devotions
John
John 17 : 1 - 26 "BUT WE SEE JESUS - OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST IN PRAYER"
Day 247 – John 17
BUT WE SEE JESUS – OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST IN PRAYER
The Synoptic Gospels presented Jesus commencing His public ministry in prayer, although only Matthew and Luke gave details of His testing by Satan. It is not without significance that Jesus was led by the Spirit of God into the wilderness to spend time with His Father in deep prayer for forty days and forty nights! That was a long vigil indeed! How many are able to sustain such an intense spirit of prayer? (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13)
In all the Gospels, Jesus was always portrayed as One who spent much time in prayer, no matter how busy His daily schedule might be.
Mark was deeply impressed by the discipline that Jesus maintained as He sought God in prayer, the first thing in the morning.
“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
Luke recorded that Jesus was given to prayer as well. On occasions, Jesus would spend the whole night in 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.”
Luke 6:12
TEACHINGS CONCERNING PRAYER
Jesus spoke much on the subject of prayer. There was much to teach on this topic.
1. Wrong Ideas and Practices
Jesus saw many wrong practices of prayer. Before a person can learn how to pray deeply, he must learn how to pray correctly. Matthew recorded how Jesus taught His Disciples to avoid the common mistakes many made in prayer.
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites.
For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and
on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.
Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as
the heathen do. For they think that they will be
heard for their many words.”
Matthew 6:5, 7
a) Hypocrisy and prayer do not go together.
b) Hypocrisy in prayer is when people offer prayers to be admired by men.
c) Repeating set prayers again and again is not the way to pray! This practice is heathenish.
2. Alone with God
How many would really pray when they are all alone? Private prayer was enjoined. Praying in public was not disdained, except when it is offered with the hope of soliciting praise from men. Private prayer was the true mark of a person who sought God out of personal faith.
“But you, when you pray, go into your room,
and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father
who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees
in secret will reward you openly.”
Matthew 6:6
a) True prayer is seeking God without drawing attention to self.
b) Significant praying done in this manner results in God’s blessings!
3. A Model Prayer (Mathew 6:9-13)
Jesus went on to give to His Disciples a model prayer. Of course, in the context of what He had just taught, He did not mean the Lord’s Prayer to be merely recited, for that would contradict what He had just taught about avoiding repetitious praying. The Lord’s Prayer is a classic model of how a person may deepen his prayer life.