Answering the Call to Prayer

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”  He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name.
    Your kingdom come.
     Give us each day our daily bread.
     And forgive us our sins,
     for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.     And do not bring us to the time of trial.”
Luke 11: 1-5

Jesus prayed.  He would often go up to a mountain and pray through the night.  He would  leave His Apostles and disciples to find a quiet place to pray.  When the crowds pressed Him on all sides, He would go out in the boat with His chosen friends to pray.  He regained His strength in prayer.   He kept His Balance through prayer.  He handled tough situations with prayer.  When He was baptized by John, a dove came to rest on His head.   The Great I AM spoke. 

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3: 17

In the Garden, Jesus sought consolation and peace as He faced the grim reality of  His torture and death.  On the cross, Jesus prayed for those who sought to kill Him.

“Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”
Luke 23-34 
Jesus prayed without ceasing.  The Apostles saw this.  They saw His closeness with the Father, the great I AM who had revealed Himself to the peoples of the ancient world, and even though Jesus said,

“The Father and I are one.”
John 10:30

Jesus prayed to the Father. 

Now, we have been called to renew our commitment to prayer.  Prayer moves us closer to a place of holiness and a union with God.  Through prayer we unite ourselves to God.  God moves closer to His Beloved children.  His graces pour down on the earth.  We gain the peace that the world cannot give.  We gain the peace of God. 

Mother Teresa said, “The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service
is peace.”

If, through prayer, peace reigns in your heart, that same peace will go with you into the world.  Bit by bit, peace will begin to spread from one person to another.  If we imitate Jesus in prayer, we will begin to live in a world where there is more peace and love than hatred and war.  God’s love will spread from one person to another, as we each awaken to the fact that God loves us beyond all things.  We will truly be children of God and united to Him forever.

Let’s begin to pray and encourage others to pray.  Let’s keep holy the Sabbath through prayer.  We have heaven to gain, and hell to loose. 

Peace!

When was the last time you prayed?

"Father, teach me to pray!"