There’s something you wish you were better at. There’s something you’re trying to do, but you’re struggling. What is it specifically for you?
Are you trying to grow a business, but you’re struggling? Are you trying to date, but you’re struggling? Are you trying to fix your marriage, but you’re struggling? Are you trying to raise those kids, but you’re struggling? Are you trying to get better at communicating, but you’re struggling? Are you trying to start a ministry, but you’re struggling? Are you trying to overcome procrastination, break a bad habit, wake up earlier, or not be a grouchy hag, but girl, you are struggling?
What if I told you Jesus gives specific instructions on how to get better at the exact thing you’re struggling with? What if within your Bible is the precise answer for your struggle and it will undoubtedly help you get better. Would you look for it? Would you try it? Would you trust it?
I’m currently struggling with a few relationships that I simply don’t know how to fix. I don’t know how to heal what has been broken. I don’t know how to repair what the enemy has absolutely destroyed.
At the same time, I’m also trying to raise my 2 year old grandson who has the funnest spunkiest spirit, and yet a prideful streak in him that would rather sit in time out for hours than say sorry. And ya’ll, I’m old! My back hurts. I don’t know how to balance being grandma and mom at the same time. I can’t find the instructions for this.
And that same me is here this morning trying to speak to you, along with thousands upon thousands of others around the world who will be listening, and say something that answers your questions, guides your next steps, and points you to Jesus. But how can what you need to hear impact what thousands of others need to hear? You don’t live in the same country, you’re not in the same season of life, and your struggles look nothing alike. But I need one thing to speak to everyone that will mean something.
Could there possibly be an answer in the Bible for all these struggles? Could there be a specific solution that helps me, helps you, and helps every soul listening, SPECIFICALLY, PERSONALLY, DIRECTLY?
This will absolutely blow your mind. Let me show you.
Jesus chose 12 people to become his disciples here on earth. Those 12 lived with Jesus for the 3 years of his active ministry here on Earth. Jesus was personally training them up to continue spreading God’s word after his death. He took several fishermen, a tax collector, a politician, a thief, and a poor hourly worker, and he taught them how to become preachers and teachers of his word. And he did all of this training in 3 years.
I wish Jesus would train me how to do the work I need to do. Jesus, I could use your advice on these relationships. Show me what to say, show me how to handle this. Jesus, I don’t know how to do all I have to do here. I can’t do this on my own. I’m struggling.
Okay, prepare yourself … this is going to blow your mind.
In the 3 years Jesus spent with his disciples, he taught them 1 thing that guided them in everything. One thing that helped them with every single thing they would ever struggle with. One thing that equipped them to go from who they were and what they used to do, to become who they were called to be and do all God had planned for them to do. Jesus taught them ONE THING.
Do you know what he taught them? He taught them to pray.
For real, this is the only thing Jesus really taught them how to do. For them to go from who they had been and what they had always done, to become his divine and appointed spokesmen responsible for spreading the life changing truth we are hearing about today, they only had to learn one thing … learn how to pray.
God absolutely smacked me in the face with this one this week. For every single area I’m struggling and want to know how to do better, Jesus says, “THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD PRAY.”
If you want to be a better wife, learn how to pray about it.
If you want to be a better mom, learn how to pray about it.
If you want to break a bad habit, learn how to pray about it.
If you want to make lasting changes, learn how to pray about it.
If you want to build a business, heal a relationship, grow a ministry, impact your community, do something exciting, move to a new place, or get yourself a breakthrough, learn how to pray about it.
If the disciples were to go from casting nets and catching fish to building global ministries that would last thousands of years, and the only thing they were taught was HOW TO PRAY, and IT WORKED, then we should be saying, “please, someone, teach me how to pray about this!”
In the 3 years of doing life together, the disciples witnessed Jesus praying over and over again. He often went to be alone and pray. He prayed about everything, always. After seeing this so often, one of the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
And Jesus said in Luke 11: 2-4, “This is how you should pray: Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
It wasn’t a 6 week class on praying. It wasn’t even a script to be memorized. It was a simple demonstration of conversation with our Father in Heaven.
This was very different than the disciples had heard from other religious leaders. They would intentionally speak long and wordy prayers to appear impressive. Jesus said, stop the show!!!!! In Matthew 6: 5-8 he said, “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you. When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”
Then, Jesus teaches the gathered crowd how to pray. Matthew 6: 9-13 are similar to the prayer Jesus taught his disciples in Luke 11, but not exact. This shows us, it’s not about the specific, memorized and repeated words. It’s an example. An example of simplicity. An example of the power in conversation with the Father.
“Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.”
Jesus never taught his disciples how to preach, he taught them how to pray. Jesus never taught his followers how to have a good marriage, he taught them how to pray. Jesus never taught his people how to raise children, manage money, keep their house clean, handle their boss, or deal with a car that won’t start and an electric bill you can’t pay at the same time. And yet, HE DID. He taught us how to handle every single one of those things specifically. The answer is LEARN HOW TO PRAY.
Learn how to seek the Father for help.
Learn how to seek God for guidance.
Learn how to ask for strength.
Learn how to lean in for your next steps.
Learn how to talk to him about your struggles.
What ever you’re struggling with, Jesus says the answer is to pray about it, and he will show you how. It’s simple. You talk to God.
Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”
Whatever you’ve been worrying about, pray about it.
Whoever you’ve been talking bad about, pray for them.
Whatever you’ve been struggling with, pray about it.
Tell God what you need! You can do that!
When I learn how to pray better, I learn how to do everything better!
When I learn how to pray over that relationship, I learn how to be better in that relationship.
When I learn how to pray over the changes I need to make, I learn how to better change.
When I learn how to pray over my house, I learn how to care for my house better.
When I learn how to pray over my money, I learn how to manage my money better.
When I learn how to pray over my decision, I learn how to make much better decisions.
There’s absolutely nothing and no one you shouldn’t be praying over. When God’s word says pray about everything, it really does mean EVERYTHING. And when we learn to pray about everything, we see God’s hand in everything.
Many years ago I learned how to pray better and it started a life changing journey. It came at a time when I had grown so distant from God I didn’t know how to take the necessary steps back to him. Just in case that’s you, let me tell you the step back to God is right here. You just call out to him. There is no wrong way.
A simple way I learned that helped me start was the 4 sentence prayer:
- Tell God what you’re thankful for.
- Confess where you’ve been wrong & ask for forgiveness.
- Tell God what you’re worried about.
- Ask God for help.
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