Keep praying for and with others
Jesus prayed with and for others constantly in his ministry
Praying like Jesus, once you start breaking it down, isn’t as hard or scary as you might think.
What did Jesus do when he prayed? He prayed regularly. He prayed simply.
And one of the other things he did often was pray for and with others.
The gospel of Luke has been a guiding light for me in understanding how it is that Jesus prays and what we can learn about prayer from him.
In Luke 22, there is a scene that plays out where the disciples are arguing about who is the greatest among the disciples. Jesus steps in and calls out Peter specifically (calling him Simon, something Jesus does when he is having a difficult conversation with Peter).
There’s another lesson here in calling people by their most true self—but that’s for a later discussion.
Jesus tells Peter, “I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail.”
Jesus prays for people and let’s them know that he is and has prayed for them.
A couple different times throughout the gospels Jesus also takes some of his disciples with him when he goes away to pray. Even on his last night alive, he brings a few disciples along with him to pray with him.
Jesus is praying with people for their sake but is also praying with people for his own sake.
Not to mention all the times Jesus prays with people during his miracles and teachings.
The point is that Jesus spends a lot of time praying with and for others, for them and for himself.
Jesus models for us how to pray, keeping it simple, regular, and communal.
My prayer for today
Our Father, you are so good to us. Thank you for the prayers of the generations that have gone before us, that have prayed for us. Spirit, encourage us to pray with others, for ourselves and for them, too. Jesus, thank you for your example in prayer and be with us as we try to model our prayer life after you. Amen.
Remember
Ask one person to pray with you (or for you if you aren’t comfortable yet) this week. It doesn’t have to be long or difficult. Just one person. And then challenge yourself to ask to pray with one person this week.