“Father, glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You.”
John 17:1
In The Prayer of Jesus, The Son addressed Holy God, as Father. When Jesus responded to His disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray,” (Luke 11:1), He offered them the same gracious, and intimate access to His Father. He said, “Pray, then, in this way, “Our Father, who is in Heaven.” (Matthew 6:9)
When Jesus established The Constitution of The Kingdom, He introduced the standards for citizenship, “poor in spirit.” (Matthew 5:3). He described those who were not spiritually arrogant, but humbled themselves, rather than being full of themselves.
When the arrogant disciples of Jesus needed an object lesson of this kind of humility, a child-like trust in the authority and jurisdiction of The Father, The Son reached out for the hand of a little one, and said, “Unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18: 3-4)
The Prayer of Jesus begins with The Son, humbling Himself in The Presence of The Father. It ends with The Son interceding before The Father for His disciples to be filled with His love. They needed to be full of Jesus, not themselves. His disciples still do. Jesus still intercedes for them to experience, “I in them.” Thank you, Jesus.
When contemporary disciples start complicating prayer, or become satisfied with being educated about prayer, they stop coming into The Presence of The Father. Instead of turning into humble children, seeking His direction, protection, and correction, they become rebellious children who start delaying, and stop praying.
Reading about prayer, talking about prayer, singing about prayer, and preaching about prayer must lead to more praying. Anything less is a delay in intimacy with The Father.
“Unless you are converted” should encourage every prayerless disciple that personal, private prayer is the way a rebellious child is able to turn their prideful and prayeless heart into a humble and prayerful heart. Two things break The Father’s heart, rebellion and repentance. Prayerful children are humble children who turn around at the slightest call of The Father, and run to Him, in the name of The Son.
There is nothing like The Presence of The Father. Jesus longed for The Father’s Presence, and found His way to Him, early in the day, during the day, late at night, throughout the night, in public places, and on prolonged, private retreats. Jesus saturated Himself with The Father’s Presence, by yielding His will to The Father’s will. His disciples should do no less.
Recently, I asked my 92 year-old father, Don Miller, “What is the one thing you would want people to know about prayer, if it was the last thing you could share with them?” He said, “Follow Jesus. It just isn’t any more complicated than that. Don’t complicate prayer. Jesus cannot be explained. He must be experienced.” Nuff said.
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!