Introduction: I recently read about an ad for a cardiac care facility in Chicago called Health Check America. The ad is a testimony and went like this: "I am a businessman in my mid forties. I eat well and exercise five times a week. I’ve never had any serious medical problems. But my wife begged me to have a heart check. The test is quick and painless. She said, ‘What have you got to lose?’ So I went. And are we glad I did. The doctor discovered major blockage in three arteries and I was scheduled for treatment immediately. Heart Check America saved my life. You may think everything is fine. So did I. Do yourself a favor. Schedule your test today."

It makes you wonder if we are equally as reluctant to recognize the warming signs of the condition of our own spiritual heart? Do you feel overwhelmed by the pace of work or responsibilities? Do you have difficulty remembering the simplest tasks because it seems there are so many tasks trying to flood your mental, emotional and spiritual circuits all at once? Are you entertaining the idea that it would be easier to walk away from it all rather than trying to fight it? Do you feel all of that and then you hear that if you expect to in any way develop spiritually that you need to set aside to pray like Jesus? Even the thought of one more responsibility just absolutely paralyzes you. So in response you decide to ignore the warnings, the internal alarms, furthering the damage to yourself, others and those with whom you live, work or go to school. You just feel you need to say, "I am too busy to pray—especially if it means praying like Jesus." If that’s your feeling today then I think we can help.

Two weeks ago I told you my reaction to my father’s death in 1995. What I didn’t tell you was that the reason he died at 65 was because of some poor health habits he had made earlier in his life that continued until his death. His father died of a heart attack in his early 70’s. That predisposition, plus bad habits, all combined to create sort of a cardiac time bomb that was really waiting to be detonated. For that reason, I, like many of you, have to be alert to the internal alarms and habits making certain I avoid finding myself in a similar circumstance.

In the same way we need to develop good physical habits for our heart it is vital that we develop strong spiritual habits as well. There is no way that a person can overcome the problems related with their heart without good heart habits. There is no way to develop a strong spiritual life without good spiritual habits. I cannot expect to lower my risk of a heart attack by failing to exercise, decreasing the amount of fat and cholesterol I ingest and monitoring the stress in my life. Neither can you expect to be on a deeper level with God, more effective in your life spiritually without some non-negotiable spiritual habits. One of the primary habits that must be a non-negotiable is the habit of praying regularly, privately, sincerely and specifically. Why do I say that? Because that’s what Jesus did and he is the model for you and me.

When you hear his words in the Sermon on the Mount you wonder: Was this the habit of his life? The answer is, absolutely! The words of Jesus in Matthew and later as in Luke 11 were the result of his practice of prayer rather than empty advice. For that reason I want us to look carefully at what Jesus did and said when he prayed before we apply it to our own circumstances.

Listen to these recorded examples of Jesus praying:

Luke 4:42

And when day came, He departed and went to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them.

Luke 5:16

But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Luke 6:12

And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Luke 9:18

And it came about that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, "Who do the multitudes say that I am?"

Luke 11:1-2

And it came about that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples." 2And He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come.

When you hear these verses that describe Jesus’ own prayer life, what do you see? First, you can see that it was his habit to pray regularly. The verse found in Luke 5:16 is translated, "But Jesus often withdrew" or "slip away" in order to pray. The verb tense is one that means repeatedly or over and over again. You see that as well by the numerous instances of the gospel writers recording his times of prayer.

Secondly, you discover that he prayed privately. Luke mentions Jesus praying in a "lonely place" (Luke 4:42), in the wilderness or desert (Luke 5:16), at a mountain (Luke 6:12), alone (Luke 9:18) and a "certain place (Luke 11:1). There are other times when Jesus is mentioned as praying in public as in the synagogues or the Temple or in the open. Yet the impression is that when Jesus desired the most personal and private moments for prayer he did that when he could be alone.

A third observation that you can see is that there was something about his praying that others saw as unique or different. It was common for religious leaders to pray but it was the way Jesus prayed that stood out. Rabbis and other religious leaders of the Jews prayed at set times and would repeat scriptures or sentence prayers over and over. Yet what the disciples observed was that when Jesus prayed there was a sincerity about it that others didn’t have. The prayer of Jesus recorded in John 17 was not unique but the reflection of continual intimacy between Jesus and the Father. So you can understand why the disciples, having observed the unique way Jesus prayed would say, "Lord, teach us to pray…."

There’s one more thing that you see and that was that when he prayed there was a desire to be intentional or specific. His praying in Luke 4 was a result of needing to not be persuaded by the enticements of the crowds to be a political messiah. He prayed to stay focused. You see the same thing in Luke 5 but perhaps this time it was that he prayed to be renewed after exhausting ministry. In Luke 6 he spent the whole night in prayer and in the morning he called out twelve disciples to follow him. He prayed before critical decisions. Again in Luke 9 you see him praying after feeding the 5000 miraculously and before he begins more clearly explaining to the disciples his path to the cross. In 9:28 you see him praying so intently about what would take place in Jerusalem that he is transformed in his physical appearance and is comforted by the presence of Elijah and Moses. When Jesus prayed there was a direction to be specific!

You see then that the habit of prayer in Jesus’ life was such that he prayed regularly, privately, sincerely and specifically. Therefore, because these things were part of his life, he could say in his sermon on the mountain, "This is how you should pray…." So, let’s take a look at what he said because now we know what he did.

For you and me to pray like Jesus it will mean that prayer will be a regular part of my life each day. Jesus said, "When you pray…" (Matthew 6:5,6). He continually looks at prayer as something that is a given, an understood practice. It’s not something that should be started but directed, "When you pray…" Okay, here is the hard question: When do you pray? I know that today we have so diminished, redefined and hyper-spiritualized prayer that we can imagine that it is enough if we are just intending to pray. That if I just think about it then that is sufficient. How well do you think it would have gone over with Kathy if I would have said, "Honey, my intention to get you a Valentine card was the same as getting you a card"? She would not be interested or satisfied with my intentions. And neither is God. Your intentions to pray is not praying.

The only way to move from intentions to intentionally praying is to form the habit of a regular time for prayer. If you don’t plan for it to be part of your day, it won’t happen!

"Unless I’m badly mistaken, one of the main reasons so many of God’s children don’t have a significant prayer life is not so much that we don’t want to, but that we don’t plan to. If you want to take a four-week vacation, you don’t just get up one summer morning and say, ‘Hey, let’s go today!’ You won’t have anything ready. You won’t know where to go. Nothing has been planned. But this is how many of us treat prayer. We get up day after day and realize that significant times of prayer should be a part of our life, but nothing’s ever ready. We don’t know where to go. Nothing has been planned. No time. No place. No procedure. And we all know that the opposite of planning is not a wonderful flow of deep spontaneous experiences in prayer. The opposite of planning is the rut. If you don’t plan a vacation you will probably stay home and watch TV. The natural, unplanned flow of spiritual life sinks to the lowest ebb of vitality. There is a race to be run and a fight to be fought. If you want renewal in your life of prayer you must plan to see it."(Spiritual Disciplines For the Christian Life, p.76)

So the question is, "When do you pray?" If there is no intentional "when," then there will likely be little if any prayer the way Jesus prayed.

Next, for you and I to pray like Jesus will mean that we have a place that helps me focus n prayer (Matt. 6:5-6). In Matthew 6:5-6 Jesus contrasts how he prayed with the way the hypocrites would pray. It was common for the very religious to go to the most obvious place, literally the street corners, and recite the ritual Jewish prayers. Their motive was clear: I want people to know I am praying. Jesus said that they have what they desired—attention.

He says, though, that the disciple should pray privately, quoting from Isaiah 26:20. He then says that when you do this the Father rewards prayer that is prayed in secret or privately. Now in the New Testament we have instances of Jesus praying in multiple locations and places but never in a room with a door. So his point is not that you have to pray in a location with a door. His point is that they were to pray most effectively in a private place. Why? Because in that private place the most intimate exchange of heart and soul was to take place between the prayer and God.

The point is, my friends, that if I am going to make prayer a regular part of my day, then I am going to need to designate a regular place to pray. Why? Two reasons: One, I have to find a place that allows me to focus, free from distractions. Second, when we find that place, there becomes a special atmosphere that becomes associated with it. It was known to Judas that when he wanted to find Jesus on the night of the Passover to betray him he knew he would be at the Mount of Olives in the Garden of Gethsemane. (Luke 22:39-40) That was "the place" where he could best pour out his soul. The value of a place is that it becomes a place that calls you away from everything else and you anticipate the contact you will have with God.

During my life I have had several places that are my places that call me to pray. The kneeling in front of the recliner in our den, the couch in our living room, the desk upstairs hall—all have been places where God has heard the petitions of my soul. I have also prayed outside on prayer walks. I started this as a student at Ouachita and have done this wherever I have lived. When we first came here our church housekeepers knew that the chapel between 8:00-8:30 each morning was my time and place for prayer.

If you are going to pray like Jesus then you will find a place during the best part of your day to help you focus on prayer. Wherever that is, find it and meet God there regularly every day.

Another principle that we observe is that praying like Jesus will mean that the sincerity of my prayer is a reflection of the sincerity of my heart (Matt. 6.7-8). Jesus explains that it is unnecessary to use repetition as a way to get God’s attention. It was normal for non-Jews to shout over and over the same phrase, hoping to appeal to a pagan deity to hear them. Jesus just affirms that God is fully aware of our needs even before we open our mouths.

What am I talking about? How about "lead, guide, guard and direct us…." What about "bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies and us to Thy service…"? Let’s try, "…and we will be careful to give you the glory…." Sound familiar? You can even do that with prayers or scriptures found in the Bible as in the Lord’s Prayer or Psalm 23. The reality is that regardless of the source of the words it is imperative that the sincerity of our prayer be a reflection of the sincerity of our heart.

I suppose that is why we love the prayers of children. They are so innocent and so sincere. They pray for things like French fries, animals and problems in ways to which we as adults become immune. What you find is that a child will pray to God in a way that is authentic, reverent, personal and earnestly. One of my favorite stories is the story of S. M. Lockridge, an African American pastor who was invited to pray at the inauguration of President Jimmy Carter. The Carter administration asked Rev. Lockridge to send them his prayer for the occasion. After several attempts to get a written prayer had failed, someone called and asked him to please send them his prayer. He responded, "I ain’t prayed yet."

God desires our prayer to reflect the sincerity and openness of our heart. If we would pray like Jesus then just open your heart.

Finally, praying like Jesus will mean that when I pray, I pray with a specific focus (Matt. 6:9-13). The words that Jesus gives us in what we call the Lord’s Prayer was not meant to be a prayer in and of itself. It is actually an outline of specific topics that prayer should include. Essentially those are four things: worship (v. 9), submission (v. 10), petition (v. 11), and confession (v. 12-13). Jesus is saying that our prayers should reflect how much we value God, how willing we are to do what he asks, how deeply we are dependent on him and how aware we are of our own sinful condition.

Have you ever heard someone speak and yet just want to say, "Get to the point!"? When we fail to focus in specific areas our prayers become little more than a recitation of our worry list or completely self-centered and self-absorbed.

Some of the ways that I have found effective to aid my praying are using topics of prayer for certain days: Monday—family; Tuesday – persons without Christ and those visiting our church; Wednesday – leaders and co-workers; Thursday – friends; Friday – missions and missionaries; Saturday – ministry; Sunday --the services for that day. I have used in the content of my prayers different areas or topics of prayer. In the last two years I have often written out my prayers in my journal, which has helped in focusing my prayer life as well as recording the prayer requests and what God has been saying to me. I have enjoyed using different books of written prayers to get me focused. I’ve used the Psalms and the hymnal to draw my words out more specifically. You can chose from so many resources to aid your prayers in their being specific. The key is find what works for you and pray!

Praying like Jesus will mean that I pray with a specific focus.

Conclusion: Let’s refocus for just a moment and ask the hard questions: "When do you pray?" "Where do you pray?" "How sincere do you pray?" "What do you pray?" If we would pray like Jesus then our answers will be that we pray regularly, privately, sincerely and specifically.

We have said that God’s prevailing power is released when we pray. We said last week that when it comes to God’s concern in our life that he is both willing and able to use his power to make a difference in our life. Today we have seen how Jesus prayed and heard his instructions as to how we are to pray. What’s left? We must pray.

Today if you don’t pray regularly, when will you start? If you don’t have a place, when will you find one? If you don’t talk to God honestly, when will you stop faking it? If you don’t pray with a focus, don’t you think it’s time to get focused? Jesus has taught us to pray. Isn’t it time to pray?

Resources: Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels

Leadership Journal, Winter 2001

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney

Sunday, February 18, 2001

Dr. Bruce Tippit, Pastor

First Baptist Church

Jonesboro, Arkansas

btippit@fbcjonesboro.org