Commissioned: Pray First: Unlocking Hearts Through PrayerSample

Prayer: The Foundation of our Mission

Jesus was on a mission—a mission to give eternal life to all who would believe in Him. His focus was on not losing a single one of those whom the Father had sent Him to reclaim. He had not come to do His own will, but the will of the One who sent Him. We are also on a mission—a mission to share the Good News that those who believe in Jesus will have eternal life. Like Jesus, we can say, “I am not here to do my own will, but the will of the One who sent me.”

Prayer is essential to fulfilling God’s mission. We see this in the life of Jesus. When big crowds were coming to him, he maintained the habit of withdrawing to deserted places to be alone with the Father in prayer. He needed to stay connected to the Father so He could carry out the mission the Father had given Him. If this was true for Jesus, it is certainly true for us—success in the mission is grounded in prayer! When our relationship with God is strong and fresh, we have the grace, strength, and courage we need to make the sacrifices necessary to pray, care, and share.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, he gave them the prayer that we call the “Our Father.” This prayer consists of seven petitions. In the last four petitions--“give us…forgive us…lead us not…deliver us”—we ask God for what we need. But before we begin asking for ourselves, we focus on God Himself and on His will: We ask, “May your name considered holy…may your Kingdom come…may your will be done.” Jesus modeled for us and taught us to center our prayers first on God and His will. Prayer is, first and foremost, the way that we stay aligned with God’s will for our lives. Then, when we are aligned with God, we can ask for whatever we need.

After we express our devotion to God and to His mission, we are ready to listen for His ongoing direction and to ask for the help we need in carrying it out. Like Jesus, we want to reach everyone to whom God is sending us. And, like Jesus, we are guided and fueled by prayer.

Stop, think and Pray:

St. Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits, was one of the greatest examples of a disciple on a mission. Let’s use his prayer today to surrender ourselves to God and His mission:

"Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, my whole will, all that I have and all that I possess. You gave it all to me, Lord; I give it all back to you. Do with it as you will, according to your good pleasure. Give me your love and your grace; for with this I have all that I need."