Return to Prayer

Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God, our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who teaches us to pray.

Our Lenten series is entitled, Return to the Lord. It’s taken from Joel 2:13, Return to the Lord, Your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

Our theme tonight is Return to Prayer, and it’s based on the account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, which we’ll go through later in our message.

In the Gospels, we can see that Jesus was very dedicated to the practice of prayer, and very prolific at it. 

In Mark 1:34, early in Jesus ministry, after He had healed many people and was exhausted, still He made it his priority to wake up early and pray. Mark says, And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.

Jesus knew that there was no way he could do what He was called to do, and be what He was called to be, without prayer. He needed a dedicated and disciplined prayer life to keep Him in close communication with His Father, and obedience to His Father’s will.

The disciples took note. They were impressed, because they knew how hard it is to maintain a strong devotional life. Especially when you’re as busy, and in demand as Jesus was.

So one day, after Jesus had returned from being alone in prayer, Luke tells us, one of his disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.

And Jesus taught them, what we now call, The Lord’s Prayer. 

We sometimes refer to this as the most excellent of prayers because it’s from the very mouth of Jesus, his very words of wisdom for us.

Martin Luther included this most excellent of prayers in his Small Catechism, to help teach us about prayer, and more than that, to teach us more about God’s Word. Each petition in this prayer teaches us something about the Christian Faith.

Sometimes when we don’t know what to pray, or can’t find the words, we have this excellent prayer that says it all for us. Few words are more comforting than the words of our Lord’s Prayer.

I wonder if the words to this great prayer came to mind when Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, the night before He was crucified.  Especially the 3rd, 6th and 7th petitions: Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven... lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 

Matthew tells us in chapter 26, 36 Then, after celebrating the Passover in the upper room,  Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.”  37 And taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.”

Jesus needed time alone to talk to His Heavenly Father about what He knew was going to happen to Him in the next 15 hours, when He would be flogged and tortured and crucified. 

Yet He wanted His close friends to be nearby and stand guard; not so that He could escape from those who were coming to arrest Him, but so that He could go to them and confront them and meet them head on, so that they and we all would know that Jesus was not afraid of them and their evil schemes. He was bold and willing to be arrested, and falsely tried, and executed.

Matthew says, 39 And going a little farther Jesus fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

While Jesus was willing to do what had to be done to win salvation for the world, he was still human, and He didn’t want to have to suffer so greatly, as no sane person would. 

So He asked His Father if there might be another way to redeem the world. But He obediently prayed, not as I will, but as You will.

During this prayer, Jesus was refraining from using His Divine power to know all things, as He sometimes did. He did this so that He would go through the whole process, agonizing and struggling His way through it, and in that way, suffering for us.

In fact, He suffered and agonized so greatly during this time of prayer, that, Luke tells us, His sweat became great drops of blood.

Matthew continues,  40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “Could you not watch with me for one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

Just a short time before, Jesus told Peter that he would deny that he even knew Him, and that all the disciples would desert him. 

That would have been a good thing for Peter and the disciples to stay awake and pray about. But Peter and disciples were like us. We’re sometimes weak in our prayers, and not as vigilant toward temptation as we should be.

 42 Again, for the second time, Jesus went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy.

They just couldn’t stay awake to watch, even though Jesus had told them that His enemies were coming to arrest him. This time, it seems, Jesus just let them sleep.

 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.  See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; look, my betrayer is at hand.”

This third and last time Jesus prayed, He had his answer: there was no other way to redeem the world. So He woke his disciples and began the long walk to Calvary.

Although, like the disciples, we are weak, and don’t pray as we ought, we have a Savior whose prayers are perfect. 

And the night before he died and then rose, He prayed perfectly for us, for all who would ever believe in Him, in what’s been called His High Priestly Prayer.

And even now in Heaven, Jesus intercedes on our behalf. Romans 8:34 says, Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

So does the Holy Spirit, as our Scripture reading tonight says, For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And He who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

With Jesus and the Holy Spirit interceding to perfect our prayers, we can be sure that they please God; and be empowered to improve our prayer life. Just pray what’s in your heart, for the sake of Jesus, and God will hear and answer your prayer, in the right way, and at the right time.

There are many fine devotionals in print, or podcast, or video, that can help us. But make sure that they’re doctrinally sound and true to God’s Word. The Lutheran Hour website has excellent daily devotions, both printed and audio.

Also there are many wonderful traditonal prayers for us to use. These can be very helpful in developing a habit of prayer. And they can also be helpful when we don’t know quite what to pray. At those times, or when we need to be comforted, the Lord’s Prayer is especially helpful.

Our Lord prayed for us, and that strenghtened Him to suffer and die for us. May our prayers strenghten us to be faithful to Him, and to better love one another in His name. 

And as you pray, God’s peace, which passes understanding, will guard your heart and mind, in ChrIst Jesus our Lord, who died and rose and prays for us. Amen.