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Mt. Baker Beacon
Vol. 03, No. 19 May 12, 2024
Your word is a lamp to my feet Mount Volume 03, Number 19 Published by Location: Sunday: Web site: Mt. Baker church
| In this issue: THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH It was said by an angel that John would come "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk. 1:17). The spirit and power of Elijah is certainly praiseworthy, to be imitated, and sorely lacking today. Let's look at "The spirit and power of Elijah". LEARNING FROM JESUS' PRAYERS The model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is something Jesus gave His disciples to teach them how to pray. Christians throughout the ages have benefited from this example, even if some missed the point and repeated it as an incantation. Another way we can learn how to pray is by looking at how Jesus prayed in His own life. When and how did Jesus pray? Ordinary prayers. Jesus deliberately carved out time at the beginning of His day to pray. Mark 1:35 mentions Him waking up early in the morning while it was still dark, going to a secluded place, and praying to the Father. That is some serious commitment! It is not like Jesus didn’t have plenty to do—we know He stayed busy teaching the multitudes, His own disciples, and traveling from place to place. He was also subject to the same need for rest and sleep that we experience. Matthew 14:22-23 describes another incident when Jesus did something similar, but in the evening. He took time to be alone and pray after a day that had been filled with teaching and a miraculous feeding of thousands of people. I don’t know that Jesus could always go up on a mountain for this prayer time, but we still learn something about how deliberate He was to make the time. Our lives are busy with work, school, family, hobbies, and other responsibilities—plus, we still need to rest so we can function tomorrow! But it is important to pray, and we will make time for what is important to us. If we make prayer a regular part of our day, it will set the tone for the rest of our schedule. Praying all night. Luke 6:12-13 contains another occasion where Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, but with an unusual twist—He stayed engaged in prayer all night long. Typically we only choose to stay up all night when there is a compelling reason to do so. In this case, Jesus was fresh off of growing opposition from people who hated Him (Luke 6:11) and was about to make the important decision of choosing His twelve closest disciples. Both of these were good reasons to be especially dependent on God. Sometimes we face special challenges or decisions in life. Those moments are critical to remain focused on God and our purpose in the kingdom. The trials could sweep us away in doubt or dejection, or a life-changing decision could have consequences that ripple out for years. If it takes all night to pray to God for guidance, it will be well worth it. Giving thanks. Some of Jesus’ prayers were especially focused on giving thanks. In both accounts of Jesus miraculously feeding the multitude (Matt. 14 and 15), Jesus gave thanks to the Father for their provision. Many of us have the same practice of praying in thanks before we sit down to eat. There is good precedent for that and it helps us remember the source of all of our blessings. John 11 contains another striking example of Jesus’ power when He raised Lazarus from the dead. Notice that when Jesus did this, He also thanked the Father for hearing Him. His work was totally in line with the Father’s will and so He was thankful for God working in His ministry. Obviously, Jesus had a special relationship with the Father that we can’t exactly match. But can’t we give thanks for God’s providential influence in our lives and how He guides us, teaches us, and strengthens us as we work in His kingdom? We have much to be thankful for. Praying for others. Jesus did not just pray for Himself. John 17 contains the longest recorded prayer of Jesus and much of it is devoted to the spiritual needs of His disciples who were there with Him and all of the future Christians that would come later. He also prayed for Peter when he was going through a trial of faith (Luke 22:31-34). Jesus had the full expectation that God would hear His prayers and answer them even when interceding on someone else’s behalf.
Our prayers for each other are so valuable. If you ever don’t know what else to say in a prayer, go down the list of family, brethren, friends, neighbors, and even strangers who might be far away and pray about as many of their needs as you can. Pray for the things you know about and the things you don’t. Lean on God’s perfect understanding of all people to make up for the gaps in your knowledge. Do more than a generic prayer for help—ask God to give you some opportunity to say or do something to be part of the solution they need. Praying in distress. In Jesus’ time of greatest distress, He turned to the Father in prayer. The account of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane in Luke 22:39-46 is gut-wrenching. Jesus was about to be betrayed, arrested, subjected to an unfair trail, and torturously executed. He gave Himself willingly to this fate, but He also felt the intensity of what was going to happen. How fitting for Him to devote Himself to prayer in that dark hour! In our dark moments, we must not give in to despair. God is with us in the “valley of the shadow of death” as much as the sunshine. Don’t turn away from God when your burden threatens to break you. Ask for His help, even if you don’t entirely know what to say. Created by John Bass, last updated. 05/11/2024 The Mount Baker Beacon is a weekly publication of the Mt. Baker church of Christ, Bellingham, WA. |
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