A lot of people treat prayer like the oxygen mask on an airplane. The flight attendant at the beginning of every flight describes how if the need arises, an oxygen mask will drop down. Pull the mask toward you, place it over your nose. Pull the straps on the mask to tighten and breath normally. A lot of people know about prayer and are prepared to pray if it becomes necessary. Jesus taught His disciples that prayer was necessary. In fact, it was vital to their walk with God.
Jesus lived through high levels of stress. He dealt with big crowds, sometimes hostile, crowds. He endured rejection and betrayal. Opposition was common. He was able to enter into the intense emotional struggles of the people he served time and time again but remained steady and emotionally healthy. He dealt with illness and death. Jesus had an amazing sense of mission and purpose and nothing shook Him. How did Jesus do this?
One of the things the disciples observed about Jesus was His personal prayer life. Jesus would often get away to the mountains to pray to the Father. Prayer was such a part of His life that the disciples asked Him how to pray. Now these men did not ask because they had never prayed before. It was part of their culture to pray. But what they saw in the prayer life of Jesus was unlike anything they had ever seen before. For Jesus prayer was not some necessary religious exercise. He delighted in His times of prayer. These times of prayer were a source of His strength. At the end of difficult days Jesus would often go away to pray. This kind of prayer life is essential for each of us in ministry.
As pastors and leaders of the Baptist Bible Fellowship we must continually be reminded of the importance of prayer. I’d like to ask you to pray for the partnership we share in this Fellowship. Pray for our shared endeavors and for each other. On Sundays I have a few friends who text me that they are praying for me. This shared prayer for each other is powerful. We are strengthened as we hold on to each other and seek God together in prayer.