According to Luke: Plug Into Prayer

According to Luke: Plug Into Prayer

Opening Illustration:

As a boy growing up, I can remember all the trips I made to Oakman, Alabama where my grandparents lived. They were fascinating people. They were staunchly Christ of Christ. They lived on a small farm and had a great barn perfect for a kid to play in. My grandfather would take us out in the woods where we would play and shoot squirrels with bebe guns. As a kid, I can remember a needle point that my grandmother had hanging in the house. 

It said “Pray…It Changes Things”.

Very true words right there. My grandparents really believed in prayer. I can remember them praying together before they went to bed. My grandfather would pray for my grandmother and she would then pray for him. This is a pattern that my wife and I repeat even today. 

Do you believe in the power of prayer?

Are you plugged into prayer?

Do you pray daily? 

Secondary Illustration:

Before we hired Will conduct the Children’s Ministry here at church, I was serving in that ministry on a weekly basis. It was a blast. I loved being with the kids. Kids have great prayers don’t they. They are simple. They are to the point and there is absolutely no filter. 

Listen to some of these prayers:

Dear God: Please send a new baby for Mommy. The new baby you sent last week cries too much. Debbie, 7 

Dear God: Who did you make smarter? Boys or girls? My sister and I want to know. Jimmy, 6 

Dear God: How many angels are there in heaven? I would like to be the first kid in my class to know the answer. Norma, 8 

Dear Lord: Thank you for the nice day today. You even fooled the TV weather man. Hank, 7

Dear God: I need a raise in my allowance. Could you have one of your angels tell my father. Thank you. David, 7 

Dear God: This is my prayer. Could you please give my brother some brains. So far he doesn’t have any. Angela, 8

Point:

Brothers and sisters, let me make a promise to you today. Prayer not only changes people, it can change your circumstances. It can offer you a new perspective. Prayer is the tall mountain that we can climb to see our surroundings. Things may seem gloomy on the ground, but prayer is the glider that gives us a heavenly perspective of what God is doing around us. Without prayer, we are rudderless. Without prayer, we are weak. 

So this morning, let me deliver to you this central statement!

Miniature or Massive Decision? Pray!

Background:

Today we are reading from Luke 6. Jesus has been a very busy man. He has been healing and teaching. He has been walking and investing in literally hundreds of people. On top of that, he has been confronted with conflict. There is nothing more exhausting than conflict. Conflict can suck the very life out of a person and it seems that at every turn, Jesus is having confrontations with the Pharisees. 

Now Jesus has lots of people following Him. He has several that He has already chosen to serve as His disciples. Yet, He wanted 12. So, Jesus has a big decision to make. He needs to choose officially the 12 men that will serve as His closest friends, His pupils, and His helpers. 

So, what does He do? He prays. 

This morning that’s what we are looking at. The subject of prayer and how Jesus prayed. So, open your Bibles to Luke 6:12-16 ESV and lets read together. 

Scripture:

Luke 6:12-16 NIV

12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 13 When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: 14 Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 15 Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

3 Lessons From Jesus’ Prayer Life

I. The Connection of Prayer vs. 12

Luke 6:12 NIV

12 One of those days…

Point:

Luke 12:6 actually reads in the Greek like this, “It was at this time” instead of “One of those days”. Some of your translations may actually say that. This is an important distinction because “One of those days” sounds like Jesus was just meandering around and then suddenly decided to pray. Rather, “it was at this time” gives the reader that there was something that Jesus had engaged in just moments before. Something significant happened moments ago and it was at this time that Jesus stops to pray. 

So, what had happened? For one, healing. Jesus had brought healing to someone’s life. A withered hand had just been restored. Healing people is hard. For us, to see someone healed means lots of time and energy. Next, Jesus had just had a significant confrontation with the leaders of the day. Trust me, there is nothing more painful than conflict. Conflict can zap the energy right out of you. Lastly, Jesus had been teaching. As someone who teaches for a living, teaching is hard. It is not just the preparation that is difficult, it is the conversations that spin off the teaching that can seem truly consuming. 

You might be thinking, “Well preacher, isn’t Jesus God? Can’t He take it?”. The answer is “yes”. Jesus is God. But Jesus was also human and as a human, He experienced fatigue. 

Fatigue can kill ministries and ministers. I have met my fair share of people who have been burned in ministry and then burn out all together. Perhaps you have felt that way. Maybe you have recently been serving or have served in the past only to feel exhausted. You want to throw up your hands and quit. 

Well, I have been there before. 

What I have discovered is that when I feel that way, I am operating under my power. Now my power will get me pretty far, but it never gets me far enough. When I am operating under God’s power, my entire attitude changes. I see the bigger picture picture of ministry and loving people. I don’t feel burned out under God’s power, I feel fired up!

Point:

So, what can we learn from Jesus entry into prayer? Prayer is available to us at all times. Thankfully, prayer is there for us when we are fatigue and give out. No doubt that is where Jesus was, He was tired and exhausted. So, on that day or at this time, Jesus prayed. 

By the way, you can pray just about anywhere. Look at some of the places that people prayed in the Bible:

Jesus prayed in the wilderness.

Paul prayed in the pit.

David prayed in the cave.

Solomon prayed in the palace.

Onesimus prayed from jail.

Noah prayed in the storm.

Jonah prayed in the belly of the fish.

Abraham prayed in the darkness. 

Daniel prayed in the lion’s den.

That’s just a few. Isn’t it wonderful that we can speak to God anytime, anywhere. He is never to busy. He is never asleep. He never asks us to give Him a moment. God’s light is always on for us. 

If you are happy, you can pray.

If you are upset, pray.

Jesus demonstrates to us in just a handful of words that God is available to us anytime and anywhere. 

Psalm 34:17 ESV

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles.

3 Lessons From Jesus’ Prayer Life

I. The Connection of Prayer vs. 12

II. The Location of Prayer vs. 12

Luke 6:12 ESV

12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray…

Point:

So Jesus, in a moment of weakness and human fatigue, stops to pray. It was a planned event. We can learn a lot from that example. Should we plan our prayer? The answer is absolutely. If you are like me, if you do not plan for it, it won’t get done. Prayer is a discipline that we have to train ourselves to perform. We have to schedule it otherwise, it won’t happen. Can prayer be spontaneous? Sure it can. You can pray in the car, at work, at the lunch table, really anywhere. Yet when it comes to praying each and every day, we have to calendar it. 

So Jesus has a planned prayer pitstop. Next, we see that Jesus had picked a location to best maximize His prayer time. Jesus retreats to a mountainside. 

You know what is not on a mountainside? People and problems! Jesus’ strategy to amplify His prayers was to get away from people and get closer to His Father. 

Illustration:

The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station sits upon two miles of glacial ice at the bottom of the world. It is one of the remotest places on the planet, more than 800 miles from the nearest human beings. A small group of 50 to 150 people gather here to support scientific research done by the United States Antarctic Program. Brett Baddorf is one of them, commissioned as a missionary to the others.

Baddorf expected to find that the silence and solitude of the South Pole would deeply rattle his connection with Christ. Instead, he discovered what he now calls "the blessings of solitude":

I should have known better. Christ frequently withdrew to desolate places [like the desert], often at night. So while our environment elicits plenty of side effects and moments of tension over time, Christians especially here have leaned into, instead of away from, the solitude.

None of the Christians here feel called to spend the rest of their lives in the desert (Antarctica is technically a desert, with little precipitation). But it is impossible to deny the benefits of a season set apart. If anything, it would help to remove a few more of the amenities here, at least if a goal of coming to Antarctica were fostering spiritual growth.

In the modern, non-Antarctic world, it can be difficult to find places to be alone. We are surrounded by real and virtual community throughout good portions of our days. When we do need to set apart moments of meditation with our God, knowing how to handle stillness can be almost as challenging as finding it.

Illustration:

Do you remember the movie “Back to the Future” Of course you do! Do you remember the opening sequence when Marty visits Doc Brown’s home before school. Marty opens the door, pulls out his electric guitar, plugs it into Doc Brown’s massive amplifier and turns it on. The speaker has a loud hum. Marty pulls out his pic and strums the first cord and immediately Marty is blown away by the powerful amplifier.   It sends him backward into a wall of boxes. 

It is a great start to a great movie for sure. Think about this though, there was no power in that electric guitar. Left alone, that guitar would not have rocked Marty’s world. However, when he plugged the guitar into the power, he was blown away. 

Point:

Friends, when it comes to prayer, our setting can either amplify our prayer or stifle them. Yes, you can pray anywhere, but we can do things that help our prayer walk come to life. Often times, the quieter and more secluded we get with God, the more we will be able to hear God. 

Point:

Remember this, when you plug into prayer, you plug into power. Why deter that power with needless distraction? 

How Can You Amplify Your Prayer Life?

A. Read-The Bible is God’s Word. It is the primary and most efficient way of hearing God speak. When you pray, pray God’s Word and watch your prayer life take off. 

B. Write-Journaling can enhance your prayer life. It will help you track in black and white what God is doing in your life. You will be able to chart the answer prayers and it will help you to be patient as you wait on God’s movement. 

C. Listen-Don’t allow your prayer life to be a one way conversation. Allow God to speak in the silence and stillness of your heart and mind. 

D. Praise-Worship is always a great way to enhance your prayer life. Worship on the radio, Apple Music, or Spotify. There are so many resources available. Let praising God be a habit for you. 

Matthew 6:5-8 ESV

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

3 Lessons From Jesus’ Prayer Life

I. The Connection of Prayer vs. 12

II. The Location of Prayer vs. 12

III. The Duration of Prayer vs. 12

Luke 6:12 NIV

12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. 

Jesus made a planned pitstop for prayer. He then had a particular place that he went to amplify His prayers. Then, he persevered all night in prayer. 

When was the last time that you prayed all night? Not many of us have been that dedicated.

Truthfully, the time limit here is merely symbolic. While I am sure that Jesus did pray that long, I think that there is a lesson to learn. 

We must persevere in our prayers. In our exhaustion, we must continue to pray. When we are tired, we must continue to pray. We must not give up nor can we quit. We must pray pray pray. 

There is a great acrostic when it comes to praying. It is P.U.S.H.

We are to pray until something happens. Why? Because God’s best often comes in timely prayers. 

Illustration:

The other day my wife sent me to fresh market. I was purchasing some fish for us to grill that evening. She gave me specific instructions on what to buy and I followed her advise. I went to the counter, asked for a couple of filets. The man behind the counter reached in, pulled out the filets. He weighed them and even printed out the cost. Just as he was about to wrap up the fish, he left. With no explanation he just took off. I was looking at my phone assuming that he was wrapping the fish up and he had vanished. I thought, did the rapture happen? Did I miss it? Lord don’t forget me. He was gone for several minutes. I was looking behind the counter and there was no one there to help me. I leaned over and started yelling “hello, hello”. Nothing. So, I just stood there and looked at my fish.

After several minutes when by, the clerk came back with something in his hands. It was wrapped up, ready to go, fish filets. He smiled and handed it to me.  He said, “sorry for the wait, I wanted to give you the very best of what we had.”

I was appreciative. Thankful that he would go back, search and bring out the best for little ole me. 

Friends, thats what God does with us. Timing in life is everything and sometimes we have to wait. Sometimes it will take time for God to work things out. Remember, He is not just dealing with you. He is dealing with all those that he loves and calls according to His grand purposes. He doest just want to influence your life, He wants to impact His entire Kingdom. Remember, if you are waiting, it is because God is brining His best for you for everyone that He loves. 

Colossians 4:2 ESV

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.

Remember To P.U.S.H. and Trust Him!