Tag: prayer

  • How to Pray in the Middle of Stress (3.29.26)

    MARK 14:32-36

    32And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

    10 POINTS TO PONDER

    Gethsemane means “oil press”. This is the place where Jesus would suffer the most intense pressure of His life. And just as olives are pressed and crushed to yield new oil, this was the beginning of Jesus’ pressing and crushing that would lead to new life.

    Jesus was experiencing difficult emotions and He wasn’t embarrassed to share that with His friends. Even though He knew they weren’t perfect, and He knew they would let them down, He was still willing to share His life with them. This reminds us that in relationships, we cannot always control what we receive, but we can always control what we give.

    Before everything happened, Jesus chose to pray. A pattern emerges in the Bible (if you’ll look for it), that before nearly every great work of God, the people of God are praying.

    Jesus was 100% human, and Hebrews tells us that He suffered (was tempted) in every way as we are. So in this moment, the dread we have of death was felt by Jesus. The fear we have of endings was felt by Jesus (he loved his friends, he wanted to continue doing life with them). The aversion we have to suffering was felt by Jesus. The desire for life, for comfort, for ease was felt by Jesus. He knows us.

    Jesus asked His disciples to remain and pray. They didn’t. How often, when someone asks you to pray for them, do you continue praying as often or as much as you should?

    Jesus’ use of the words “Abba, Father” reveal a closeness He experienced with God. Through Him, we also can experience that closeness with God.

    The picture of God as a Father is not always easy for some people because of their own experiences with their father. It is helpful to remember that God as father is better than even the greatest human father, and whatever type of father you may have longed for or searched for, God is that and more.

    Jesus was not afraid or embarrassed to tell God exactly what He wanted. God does not mind when we are honest with Him.

    Jesus also recognized that God’s plan might be different than His own. So he offered up His request with the understanding that He may never receive what He asked for… and that was okay with Him.

    Much of what Jesus was about to experience was out of His control. What was in His control was how He responded and whether He turned to God. His example here is to work at what we can control and pray about what we cannot.

    How to Pray Like Jesus

    Prayer is less about the words we say and more about how we grow connected to God in the process. When Jesus prayed, He didn’t approach God with uncertainty, hesitation, or performance. He prayed with confidence and clarity, relying on His relationship with the Father. If we want to pray like Jesus, we need to see God the way Jesus saw Him: not distant, not disinterested, but as a good Father who invites us close.

    RELY ON YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S GOODNESS

    Jesus said, “Abba, Father”. If you imagine the most perfectly good Father possible—one who loves you more than anyone ever has, who wants nothing but your ultimate good, and who would lay down His life to provide exactly what you need. If God knows what is good for you and wants what is good for you, you can trust Him with your prayer.

    REMEMBER YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S POWER

    Jesus said, “All things are possible for you.” There is nothing that is outside of God’s control. This isn’t a promise that He will do whatever we want, but it should provide confidence that He can do whatever is needed. Prayer should not be my effort to convince God to do what I want, but rather an opportunity to be reminded that He will do whatever I need.

    REQUEST YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S PROVISION

    Jesus said, “Remove this cup from me.” This request is the flip side of, “Give us this day our daily bread,” which Jesus taught His disciples to pray. Because He’s a good Father, God wants us to bring our requests to Him. The key to remember is that when we ask, it should be from a place of deference rather than demanding.

    RECOGNIZE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER’S WISDOM

    Jesus finished his prayer by saying, “Not what I will, but what you will.” God does not operate on our timeline, for our convenience, or in light of our demands. He works from His own wisdom. He sees what we cannot see, knows what we do not know, and understands what we are not yet ready to handle. His agenda is often better than ours and is always best for us.

    When Jesus was overwhelmed, He went to the Father in prayer. When we are overwhelmed, the best thing we can do is follow the example Jesus and go to our Heavenly Father in prayer.

    Click on the image to download the DiscipleQuest PDF

    The DiscipleQuest PDF includes 7 days of verse study prompts. You can use these seven studies to dig deeper into what the Bible teaches about praying during tough times:

    • Psalm 6:9
    • Matthew 11:28
    • Psalm 18:6
    • Philippians 4:6-7
    • 1 Peter 5:7
    • Psalm 42:11
    • Hebrews 4:16

    Use these questions as journal prompts or as conversation starters with a group of friends or a Bible study group:

    How do you respond when life doesn’t go as you hoped or when you don’t get something you wanted?

    What types of situations are likely to make you feel overwhelmed?

    In Mark 14:34, Jesus said that His soul was overwhelmed (NIV). What was happening around Him and to Him that might have been overwhelming?

    When everything in His life seemed to be flying out of control, Jesus chose to pray. Why do you think He made that choice? Do you find it easy or difficult to pray when life is overwhelming? Why?

    In His prayer, Jesus said, “Father, all things are possible for you.” Why is this phrase important in prayer?

    Jesus didn’t want to drink from the cup in front of Him, but He knew that great good would be the result if He did. How have you experienced great good resulting in your life when you drink life’s undesrable cups? What good might result from the hard time you are experiencing right now?

    When presenting prayer requests, what is the difference between deferring and demanding? What do you do in your prayer life to keep from being demanding?

    Did Jesus get what He asked for in this prayer? What does this teach you about your own prayer?

    In His prayer, Jesus chose to let go of His own agenda so that He could embrace God’s agenda. What do you need to let go of right now? What does it look like for you to embrace God’s agenda in your life?