Sweat Now, Summit Later: Four Days to Getting the Most Out of the MountaintopSample

Honest to God

In Jesus' day, prayer looked a little different culturally than it does for us today. To be honest, it was a little messed up. It became so official, so formal, built all on systems, tradition, and repetition. Prayer became something it was never meant to be. But we see in James that it's a lot more simple than that. The best way to approach prayer is to think of ourselves as kids being honest with our parents. That's the image we should have, simply a kid being real with a parent. We can overthink and over-pressure prayer, but when we simplify it to just the common denominator, we're kids who want to talk to our Father, and we have a Father who wants to hear from us. That's how Jesus did it.

There is only one instance we know of where the disciples explicitly asked Jesus to teach them to do something, and that was to pray. He preached some epic sermons, did some amazing miracles, and told incredible stories, but the thing that stood out to them as being the most noteworthy, the most different, the most shocking, and the most disruptive was the way He would pray. He would get away early. He would get away often. And so one day they basically said, "Could you teach us to do that, because what you do is not how we have prayer in our heads."

Jesus replied something to the tune of "Oh, it's chillier than you think. Don't pray using a ton of words thinking you're going impress God with your vocabulary. Don't pray babbling on. No, no, no, pray like this..." And you can read in Matthew 6:9-13 exactly how He told them to pray.

If Jesus modeled it, and the disciples followed it, so should we. So here are five keys to powerful prayers.

Authenticity

This means transparency and vulnerability. This is as opposed to a facade. Authenticity as opposed to pretending you have everything together. There is power in being honest and authentic in prayer.

Unity

God is looking for those whose hearts are loyal or united towards His name. Prayer unites and connects us with God, with Heaven, and with ourselves.

Intensity

Didn't James say that the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much? If you look into the Greek language, that word "fervent" literally means a metal that's heated until it glows—fervent, hot, passionate prayers.

Responsibility

Do all you can, and trust God for what only He can do. But you have to play your part! Ask God what your role is in the prayer you're praying.

Community

Prayer is not meant to be used only secretly or individually but also collectively. So don't be afraid to pray out loud or pray with other people (remember, it doesn't have to be fancy).

There is power and raw energy that flows through God's followers when we don't neglect or abuse, but we instead pay attention to this powerful tool that we've been given, and it's called prayer.


To make the most out of your mountain-top experience: fill your heart with prayer.

What are you praying for God to do in your life this week? Pray with authenticity, unity, intensity, responsibility, and in community, and watch for God to move!