I Want to Pray Like Jesus, But How Do I Do it? (Part One)

I want to be more like Jesus.

Now I’m going to assume that when you read that, it’s not a shocking statement. It is likely (and hopefully) something we can all agree on. But what does that mean? We preach about it-Sermon after sermon telling us to be more like Jesus. We sing

about it-“I want to be like Jesus in my heart”, “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in

me”, or “Oh, to be like Thee”. We talk about it-“I need to be a better person so I’m

going to be more like Jesus.

When talking about the number one goal in life, someone has said that it isn’t

getting to Heaven. That may sound crazy, but let’s hear them out. Our number one

goal should be to be more and more like Jesus, living and loving like He did, and

when we do that, we will live a better life and as a result, we will go to Heaven. But

what does it mean to be more like Jesus? What does that look like in my life?

I want to be more like Jesus, but more specifically for this article, I want to be

more like Jesus in my prayer life, but how do I do it? In this part we will discuss

what Jesus taught about prayer.

One of the earliest teachings from Jesus when it comes to prayer is found in His

most well known sermon, the “Sermon on The Mount." Matthew 6:5-6 reads

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to

pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they

may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But

you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door,

pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly."

So, the first thing we can learn from the teachings of Jesus is that (1) Prayer is

personal (Matthew 6:5-6). This is not Jesus condemning public prayers, but this is

Him saying that prayer is not to be done for show or for attention. There were

some that were doing this so that they would seem like they are more holy than

others. When it comes to prayer, it is personal.

Jesus continues in verse 7,

“And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words”. With this we learn that (2) Prayer is meaningful (Matthew 6:7). Many versions will read something similar to “vain repetitions," but other versions will read

“Empty phrases” or “Meaningless words." This is not as much of a focus on

“repetition” as it is about “vain." One version reads that the pagans “think their

gods will hear them because their prayers are long." Each word should be

important in a prayer to God and that is what Jesus is teaching here. Not that we

can’t be repetitive in our prayers, as we will look at later, but that in whatever we

say our prayer is to be meaningful.

The next thing we learn from the teachings of Jesus is found in the following

verses, verses 9-15: “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be

Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in

heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we

forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from

the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

Amen. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will

also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” The third thing to learn is (3) Prayer content (Matthew 6:9-14). Jesus doesn’t just say to pray more and then not tell His followers how to do it. He gives them things

that should be in most/all prayers. He starts off by showing reverence toward God,

then He thanks God for the blessings, then He asks for forgiveness, then He asks

for strength. This is an example of how prayers should be structured. God is to be

glorified and thanked, but requested for help and forgiveness can and should be

there as well.

From this same passage, we will draw out our last thing we can learn from Jesus’

teaching on prayer. (4) Prayer requires a proper relationship with others

(Matthew 6:12, 14-15). One that is desiring to go to God in prayer, but that person

has not forgiven another person, then how can they expect God to forgive them?

Sometimes, a person can only control so much when it comes to their relationship

with others, but they can do their part to make sure they are right so God can

forgive them.

Now that we have looked at what Jesus taught about prayer, in the next part we

will cover how Jesus prayed so we can continue to be more like Jesus in our prayer life.