A 7-Day Guide To PrayerExemplo

Pray like Jesus.

Prayer is the most important conversation of your day. Take it to God before you take it to anyone else. - Anonymous

It is really that important that we spend time daily in prayer with God? Well, in day one we learned that prayer is simply a two-way conversation that we have with God in order to grow. It is spending time talking, listening, asking, and thanking Him, among other things. Praying, or having an ongoing conversation with God, is vital to our growth as Christ followers. 

Did you know that Jesus spent a lot of time praying to God? The Bible says He often got away by Himself to pray. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we read that He prayed over two dozen times, at least! He prayed... 

• ...when He was alone and when He was with others. 
• ...before He healed someone and after He healed someone. 
• ...before meals and before important decisions. 
• ...in the morning and in the evening.
• ...after He was nailed to the cross and as He was dying on the cross.

What Jesus’s prayers tell us is that He depended on His Father for everything, and He was the Savior of the world! If He needed time with God in prayer, we most certainly do. Why? Because we exist in a world that is constantly throwing new things at us and begging us to divert our attention from walking with God. Prayer allows us to relate to God and be guided by Him. In these times of prayer, Jesus was getting close to His Heavenly Father. His times of prayer showed how desperate He was for His Heavenly Father. 

What can we learn from Jesus about praying? Pray in every situation and pray about every situation. 

Basically, go to God about everything. 

Relationship disagreements? Talk to God. 

Financial catastrophes? Talk to God. 

Mental issues? Talk to God.

Physical dilemmas? Talk to God.

Career challenges? Talk to God.

Emotional crises? Talk to God. 

Whatever the situation or problem, talk to Him. That’s what Jesus did. Now, this doesn’t negate subsequent steps you will take for the part you will play in this open-ended, prayer relationship you have with God. This just means that we go to Him first.

We shouldn’t be intimidated by prayer. We don’t need to wonder if we are doing it “the right way” or if we are saying “the right thing.” God simply wants us to be in an intimate relationship with Him, and He knows that maintaining an ongoing conversation with Him throughout our days is the best plan. 

As we make our way through the rest of this reading plan, let’s dive into what prayer looks like in our lives as Christ followers. 

Reflect

• When do you find it the easiest to pray? The most difficult to pray?
• Write down any revelation that God speaks to you through today’s Bible reading or devotional.