Jesus, the Best Example of Prayer

Reading Scripture: Luke 22:39-44 Verse to Memorize: Luke 22:44 Reference: Jeremiah 33:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Goal: to help the church members receive answers and blessings by resembling Jesus who showed the best example of prayer and offering up the fragrance of prayer that pleases God. If you love your parents you often have conversations with them about what happened in school or your workplace. 

If you need something, you freely ask them for it and express your love towards them. In the same manner, we as God's children can also have a conversation of love with God the Father; it is in prayer. God, who is spirit, wants to communicate with His beloved children and share deep love with them. Jesus, who is one with God, came to the earth in flesh and demonstrated the best prayer to us. Prayer is the key to receiving answers and the passage of blessing that God has given to His children. What are the right ways of prayer that Jesus taught us?  

• 1. The Lord's Prayer as recorded in the Bible

In Matthew 6 and Luke 11 appears the prayer Jesus Himself taught. It is the Lord's Prayer. It includes the necessary things that our prayers to God the Father as His children should contain. When you meditate on the Lord's Prayer you will be given strength to pray by the help of the Sprit more systematically. Then, what are included in the prayer that Jesus taught us? The prayer starts with 'Our Father who is in heaven'. It shows who listens to and accepts the prayer. It is similar to our writing "Dear ? in a letter to someone. It continues with "Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 

Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." This part of the prayer lifts up the holy name of God the Father. And it is prayer for the kingdom of God to be accomplished in His good will. It indicates that we should seek God's kingdom first before we pray for what we need. Then, the prayer for us and our neighbors proceeds. "Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil." As said, Jesus taught us to ask for what we need, pray to forgive and love those around us, and pray not to be led to temptation. 

At the end of the prayer is "For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen." This glorifies God with love and thanksgiving to Him included in the prayer. As explained, the Lord's Prayer shows keys to praying and what kind of prayer is pleasing to God.

• 2. Jesus is the best model of prayer

Even though Jesus is the Son of God the Creator, He didn't cease to pray. Since Jesus knew the heart and will of God better than anybody else, He performed His ministry with prayer that pleased God. In the following verses from Luke 22:39 appears Jesus' prayer that He gave on Gethsemane before the crucifixion. With what kind of prayer did Jesus take the sufferings of the cross and overcome the enemy devil and Satan? 

1) He prayed habitually

 In order to keep in shape, eating regular meals is very important. If you skip your meals frequently or eat irregularly, it can disrupt gastrointestinal function that can result in health problems. The same applies to prayer. Just as we can gain the source of energy through regular meals, we can be provided with spiritual strength from God only when we pray on a regular basis. We can overcome the world and triumph over the enemy devil and Satan. Unless you pray habitually, you can't receive the grace and strength of God. It might cause you to lose the fullness of the Spirit and cause you to become disheartened. You may not watch over your heart and fall into the temptation of sin. 

God wants His children to pray unceasingly as said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17. He will drive away trials that are coming when we pray without ceasing. Even if trials come to us, if we have spiritual power that has been accumulated, we will not be tempted by Satan and we will live victorious lives. It is good to pray habitually by assigning a specific time for prayer. If you give thanks to God for giving you the day in the early morning and offer up the prayer of thanksgiving at night before going to bed, how lovely it is to God the Father! 

2) Jesus prayed on bended knees 

When you ask for something of your parents or your superiors, you will naturally ask politely in proper posture. How much more polite should we be when asking for something of God the Almighty? We can't pray in poor posture. Jesus, who is the Son of God, knelt down in humble posture while praying. The same applies to the fathers of faith such as Apostle Paul (Acts 20:36) and Deacon Stephen (Acts 7:60). Kneeling down before God signifies our reverence towards Him and trust in His strength. Of course, we are sometimes in a situation where we can't kneel down. We must straighten up our posture and pray with humbleness. But as long as you can, it is better for you to pray on bended knees. It could be hard to kneel down in prayer at first but if you keep doing so for five minutes, ten minutes, and more, you can pray on bended knees for an hour or even two hours. 

3) Jesus prayed in accordance with God's will 

Jesus said in prayer before His crucifixion, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." He knew the will of God who wants to lead all men to the way of salvation. Some people do not pray in the will of God but instead pray in their own will. For example, they say in prayer, "God, if You answer my prayer, I will give You a great amount of offering." Others say whatever pleases them and after they pray they may say, "I believe that it will be done as I pray." Some even complain, grumble, and lose heart if answers do not come to them after a while. 

Still others say, "God, why isn't my business booming though I am leading a diligent Christian life? Give me financial blessing quickly." It's nothing more than grumbling toward God. Moreover, if you pray with selfish motives, you can't receive answers. You have to offer up prayer that is right according to the will of God and it should be a prayer of goodness. You must commit everything to God in prayer. When you pray with thanksgiving believing in the love of God who causes all things to work together for good and gives good things always, God will lead you to the best way. 

4) Jesus prayed fervently, putting all His strength into prayer 

Luke 22:44 reads, "And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground." The temperature was low in Gethsemane so people rarely sweated there. Nevertheless, Jesus prayed very fervently so His sweat became like drops of blood, which makes us know how much fervently He prayed. God gave a promise in Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know." It is important to call to God in prayer because we can pray without idle thoughts and drowsiness by calling out to God in prayer. Also, this kind of prayer fills you with the Spirit and drives away the enemy devil and Satan. So, God cannot only provide you with answers but He can also tell you great and mighty things. The members of Early Church prayed fervently even in great persecutions and pleased God being in the fullness of the Spirit. Even today, in the church where the members call to God in prayer and live according to the will of God, the Holy Spirit can work and the signs and wonders can unfold, which causes great revival. 

But some churches teach their members that praying quietly is an act of piety or holiness. Of course, you sometimes have to pray quietly. We must be quiet in prayer when we pray just before worship services or when we pray late at night since it can cause neighbors to suffer. If it is not the case, we have to call to God in prayer. When we call out in prayer even to the point of sweating, God gives us grace and strength and blesses us with answers.

Yesu, Mfano Bora wa Maombi

Usomaji wa Maandiko: Luka 22:39–44

Mstari wa Kukariri: Luka 22:44

Rejea: Yeremia 33:3; 1 Wathesalonike 5:17. Lengo: kuwasaidia washiriki wa kanisa kupokea majibu na baraka kwa kumfuata Yesu, aliyetuonyesha mfano bora wa maombi, na kutoa harufu ya maombi inayompendeza Mungu. Ukiwapenda wazazi wako, mara nyingi huzungumza nao kuhusu yaliyotokea shuleni au kazini.

Unapohitaji kitu, huwaomba kwa uhuru na kuwaonyesha upendo wako. Vivyo hivyo, sisi tulio watoto wa Mungu tunaweza kuwa na mazungumzo ya upendo na Mungu Baba kwa njia ya maombi. Mungu aliye Roho anataka kuwasiliana na watoto Wake wapendwa na kushiriki nao upendo wa kina. Yesu, aliye mmoja na Mungu, alikuja duniani akiwa mwanadamu na akatuonyesha mfano bora wa maombi. Maombi ni ufunguo wa kupokea majibu na njia ya baraka ambayo Mungu amewapa watoto Wake. Yesu alitufundisha kuomba kwa namna gani?

• 1. Sala ya Bwana kama ilivyoandikwa katika Biblia

Katika Mathayo 6 na Luka 11 kuna sala ambayo Yesu Mwenyewe alifundisha: Sala ya Bwana. Inajumuisha mambo muhimu yanayopaswa kuwa katika maombi yetu kwa Mungu Baba kama watoto Wake. Tunapotafakari Sala ya Bwana, Roho Mtakatifu atatusaidia na kututia nguvu kuomba kwa utaratibu zaidi. Basi sala hii ina mambo gani? Inaanza, “Baba yetu uliye mbinguni.” Maneno hayo yanaonyesha anayesikiliza na kupokea sala yetu. Ni kama tunavyoanza barua kwa kuandika, “Mpendwa...” Kisha inaendelea, “Jina lako litakaswe. Ufalme wako uje.”

“Mapenzi yako yatimizwe, hapa duniani kama huko mbinguni.” Sehemu hii inalitukuza jina takatifu la Mungu Baba na ni maombi kwamba ufalme wa Mungu utimizwe kulingana na mapenzi Yake mema. Inatuonyesha kwamba tunapaswa kuutafuta kwanza ufalme wa Mungu kabla ya kuomba mahitaji yetu. Kisha sala inaendelea na maombi kwa ajili yetu na jirani zetu: “Utupe leo riziki yetu. Utusamehe deni zetu, kama sisi nasi tulivyowasamehe wadeni wetu. Usitutie majaribuni, lakini utuokoe na yule mwovu.” Yesu alitufundisha kuomba mahitaji yetu, kuwasamehe na kuwapenda walio karibu nasi, na kutokuongozwa kwenye majaribu.

Mwisho wa sala unasema, “Kwa kuwa ufalme ni wako, na nguvu, na utukufu, hata milele. Amina.” Haya humtukuza Mungu na kuonyesha upendo na shukrani zetu Kwake. Kama tulivyoona, Sala ya Bwana inatuonyesha funguo za maombi na aina ya sala inayompendeza Mungu.

• 2. Yesu ndiye mfano bora wa maombi

Ingawa Yesu ni Mwana wa Mungu Muumba, hakukoma kuomba. Kwa kuwa alijua moyo na mapenzi ya Mungu kuliko mtu mwingine yeyote, alifanya huduma Yake kwa maombi yaliyompendeza Mungu. Luka 22:39 na kuendelea panaeleza maombi ya Yesu huko Gethsemane kabla ya kusulubiwa. Yesu alikabilianaje na mateso ya msalaba na kumshinda adui Ibilisi na Shetani? Alifanya hivyo kwa maombi ya namna gani?

1) Aliomba kwa ukawaida.

Ili kudumisha afya, ni muhimu kula milo kwa ratiba ya kawaida. Ukiruka milo mara nyingi au kula bila mpangilio, mfumo wa mmeng'enyo wa chakula unaweza kuvurugika na kusababisha matatizo ya afya. Ndivyo ilivyo pia kwa maombi. Kama tunavyopata nguvu kupitia milo ya kawaida, tunaweza kupokea nguvu za kiroho kutoka kwa Mungu tunapoomba kwa ukawaida. Tutaweza kuushinda ulimwengu na kumshinda adui Ibilisi na Shetani. Usipojenga desturi ya kuomba, huwezi kupokea neema na nguvu za Mungu. Unaweza kupoteza utimilifu wa Roho, kuvunjika moyo, kushindwa kuilinda mioyo yako na kuanguka katika majaribu ya dhambi.

Mungu anataka watoto Wake waombe bila kukoma, kama inavyosema 1 Wathesalonike 5:17. Tunapoomba bila kukoma, Mungu huondoa majaribu yanayokuja. Hata yakitupata, nguvu ya kiroho tuliyokusanya itatusaidia tusishawishiwe na Shetani na tuishi maisha ya ushindi. Ni vizuri kupanga wakati maalumu wa maombi. Ukimshukuru Mungu asubuhi kwa kukupa siku mpya na kutoa sala ya shukrani usiku kabla ya kulala, jambo hilo humpendeza sana Mungu Baba.

2) Yesu aliomba akiwa amepiga magoti.

Unapowaomba wazazi au wakubwa wako kitu, kwa kawaida huwaomba kwa heshima na kwa mkao unaofaa. Tunapaswa kuwa na heshima kubwa zaidi tunapomwomba Mungu Mwenyezi! Hatupaswi kuomba kwa mkao usiofaa. Yesu, Mwana wa Mungu, alipiga magoti kwa unyenyekevu alipoomba. Vivyo hivyo, baba wa imani kama mtume Paulo (Matendo 20:36) na Stefano (Matendo 7:60) walipiga magoti. Kupiga magoti mbele za Mungu huonyesha heshima yetu Kwake na tumaini letu katika nguvu Zake. Bila shaka, nyakati nyingine hali zetu hazituruhusu kupiga magoti. Tunapaswa kunyooka na kuomba kwa unyenyekevu. Lakini tunapoweza, ni bora kupiga magoti. Huenda ikawa vigumu mwanzoni; lakini ukiendelea kwa dakika tano, kumi na zaidi, utaweza kuomba kwa magoti kwa saa moja au hata mbili.

3) Yesu aliomba kulingana na mapenzi ya Mungu.

Kabla ya kusulubiwa, Yesu aliomba, “Baba, ikiwa ni mapenzi Yako, uniondolee kikombe hiki; lakini si mapenzi yangu, bali Yako yatendeke.” Alijua mapenzi ya Mungu, ambaye anataka kuwaongoza watu wote katika njia ya wokovu. Watu wengine hawaombi kulingana na mapenzi ya Mungu bali kulingana na mapenzi yao wenyewe. Kwa mfano, huomba, “Mungu, ukinijibu, nitakupa sadaka kubwa.” Wengine husema mambo yanayowafurahisha tu, kisha baada ya maombi husema, “Ninaamini itatendeka kama nilivyoomba.” Wengine hulalamika, kunung'unika na kukata tamaa majibu yasipokuja baada ya muda mfupi.

Wengine husema, “Mungu, kwa nini biashara yangu haifanikiwi ingawa ninaishi maisha ya Kikristo kwa bidii? Nipe baraka za kifedha upesi.” Hayo si mengine ila kunung'unika dhidi ya Mungu. Zaidi ya hayo, ukiomba kwa nia za ubinafsi, huwezi kupokea majibu. Unapaswa kutoa maombi mema na yanayolingana na mapenzi ya Mungu, na kukabidhi kila jambo Kwake. Unapoomba kwa shukrani, ukiamini upendo wa Mungu anayefanya mambo yote yatende pamoja kwa wema na kutupatia mema daima, Mungu atakuongoza katika njia iliyo bora zaidi.

4) Yesu aliomba kwa bidii na kwa nguvu zake zote.

Luka 22:44 yasema, “Naye kwa vile alivyokuwa katika dhiki, akazidi sana kuomba; jasho Lake likawa kama matone ya damu yakidondoka mpaka nchi.” Huko Gethsemane kulikuwa na baridi na watu hawakutokwa jasho kwa urahisi. Hata hivyo, Yesu aliomba kwa bidii sana hata jasho Lake likawa kama matone ya damu. Hili latuonyesha jinsi alivyoomba kwa dhati. Mungu alitoa ahadi katika Yeremia 33:3: “Niite, nami nitakuitikia, nami nitakuonyesha mambo makubwa, magumu usiyoyajua.” Ni muhimu kumlilia Mungu katika maombi. Tunapofanya hivyo, tunaweza kuepuka mawazo yasiyofaa na kusinzia. Maombi ya namna hii hutujaza Roho na kumfukuza adui Ibilisi na Shetani. Mungu anaweza kutupatia majibu na kutuonyesha mambo makubwa na magumu. Waumini wa kanisa la kwanza waliomba kwa bidii hata walipokuwa wakiteswa sana, wakampendeza Mungu na kujazwa Roho. Hata leo, washiriki wa kanisa wanapomlilia Mungu katika maombi na kuishi kulingana na mapenzi Yake, Roho Mtakatifu hutenda kazi, ishara na maajabu hudhihirika, na uamsho mkubwa hutokea.

Baadhi ya makanisa hufundisha kwamba kuomba kimya ni ishara ya uchaji au utakatifu. Bila shaka, nyakati nyingine tunapaswa kuomba kimya. Tunapaswa kuwa kimya tunapoomba kabla tu ya ibada au usiku sana ikiwa sauti yetu itawasumbua majirani. Katika hali nyingine, tunapaswa kumlilia Mungu katika maombi. Tunapofanya hivyo hata tukatokwa na jasho, Mungu hutupa neema na nguvu na kutubariki kwa majibu.