Good Stuff Happens when You Pray

 

Have you prayed today? You need to. You need to pray all the time.

After over 30 years in Christian ministry, I have come to a very profound theological conclusion: Good stuff happens when you pray!

Consider this example:

And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” . . . And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” Luke 9:18-20

Peter’s confession marks a major highpoint in the Gospel records. For Peter to label Jesus “the Christ of God” meant that the disciples were slowly coming to the realization that Jesus was in fact the promised one they had been hearing about and hoping for all their lives. And while their understanding of “the Christ’s” mission was still very superficial, Peter’s confession shows that they were making progress.

Progress, I might add, that was birthed in prayer.

Did you notice that little introductory phrase—while he was praying? That is no minor detail. It was in those classrooms of prayer that disciples began to gain a sense of Jesus’ true identity. It was in those early mornings and late evenings, watching and listening to their Master’s intercessions, that the disciples began to gain a sense of both his mission and theirs.

The point? Stuff happens in prayer—good stuff, life-changing stuff, eternal stuff, Kingdom stuff.

There are many lessons Jesus wants to teach you–truths he wants to reveal, scriptures he wants to illuminate and secrets he wants to share—that he only delivers in prayer. Prayer is the classroom of the Spirit. It’s the lecture hall of God’s Word. And while there are many great lessons to be learned along the course of living out our lives, the best, most profound and most eternal lessons are learned in prayer.

There are answers you are seeking, guidance you need and refining that will make you more holy that Christ wants to give you today, right now. But those answers, guidance and refining can only happen in the place of prayer.

Now, look at this next example:

Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.  And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming. Luke 9:28-29

There it is again—another reference to prayer in the life of Jesus.

Do you see a theme developing here? 

While he was praying . . . his face became different . . .

There are some things Jesus wants to show us about himself that He will only show us in prayer.

 

So here is an assignment: Do a word study of Luke and Acts, both authored by Luke. Look for all the references to prayer in both books. You can just read through them and mark all the times you see prayer mentioned, or you could use a concordance, Bible software or an online tool.

But as you uncover all the references to prayer, be sure and notice what is going on. Pay attention to the context. I think you will be astounded at how many significant events in Jesus’ life and the life of the early Church that Luke connects to prayer.

Then, as you weigh the major role that prayer played in the life of our Savior and His early followers, think about the implications for your own life…then pray accordingly.

 

 

 

 

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