Resources: Fascination “On-Ramps” to Prayer
Fascination with Jesus drives passionate prayer.
*Note: Please pardon my language. Use these notes to get the idea of praying Jesus’ Character. Don’t feel you need to use my language. The important thing is that you develop praying His character in your own language or words.
- The Power of Jesus: Jesus silences the furious storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:39)
o Description: Jesus wakes out of a dead sleep, assesses the situation and silences the entire squall or storm with 3 words! “Quiet. Be Still!” Jesus is fierce to quell the storm but this also reveals His protection for His disciples!
o Prayer: God I can see your power as Jesus confronts evil human systems or nature that is out of control! Help me see you can deal with any problem in my life! Help me have confidence that I am safe with you! Help me trust your power to overcome all my struggles. Remind me of your protection in my life.
o Goal: The goal of this prayer is to know that Jesus has the power to deal with any problems in our lives, any oppression in our lives or any power than is beating us down. No problem of ours is too great for Him!
- The Meekness of Jesus: He merely leaves when the Samaritans reject Him – without bitterness or anger (Luke 9:51)
o Description: The Samaritans refuse to extend hospitality to Jesus to stay overnight because they learn He is going on to Jerusalem. When they reject Him, James and John are offended and furious. They want to destroy the entire village by calling down fire or lightening on them (like Elijah did the 450 prophets of the Baal I Kings 18). Jesus isn’t offended nor is He angry. In meekness He merely leaves and walks on towards another village. (Consider Mark 5:17-18. When asked, Jesus merely “leaves.” )
o Prayer: Lord, you are all powerful. God in human form! You silence the wind and waves, you confront the entire system of financial extortion in the temple, you change water to wine and demonstrate total power over the angels and demons! Yet, when rejected you turn without insult or anger and leave the Samaritan village! You are truly humble! Is this why you dwell “with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit?” (Is 57:15)
o Goal: Praying thru the humility and meekness of Jesus causes you to process His core identity in a deeper way. Combining His power and meekness keeps His power from being overwhelming and His meekness from being “sappy.” The combination of the 2 vast extremes of His Character powerfully drives fascination and awe! The meekness and humility of Jesus has the power to melt and open hard dull hearts (like mine).
- The Joy of Jesus: Jesus delights in the Father’s wisdom! (Luke 10:21)
o Description: The 72 return from their ministry trip declaring that they have preached the Good News, prayed for people to be healed and even the demons flee from oppressing people when they pray. Jesus delights in the Father’s wisdom who has revealed these things to people who trust Him like little children, as compared to the wise and learned of this age.
o Prayer: Master, it is wonderful to see you delighting in your Father! I can picture your smile! I can see your eyes as you gaze heaven-ward! I am understanding, more and more, that you were not only a “man of sorrows” (Is 53:3) but you were also a man “filled with joy” (Lk 10:21). This helps me live in our world with its struggles and sorrows yet grow in joy even as you were joyful!
o Goal: Praying through the Joy of Jesus reveals that He isn’t just intense or always calling for repentance. He is also joyful and finds things to delight in when the world is not perfect. If this is Jesus, this is also the Father. Jesus reveals the joy in the heart of God! Focusing on His emotions tends to remake our emotions. Gazing on the wholeness and balance of His emotions brings us to a more whole and balanced place emotionally.
- The Empathy of Jesus: Jesus feels the pain of regular everyday people… and acts.
o “18 long years” (Luke 13:10) – The woman’s suffering was 18 “long” years to Jesus, not “short” years.
o “They might collapse on the way…” (Mark 8:3) – He is “concerned” for these people, knowing their tiredness
o “His heart went out to her” (Luke 7:11) – Jesus feels the suffering of this widow
o Prayer: Father, I can see how you feel my problems, my pain and even my suffering through the life of Jesus! I never understood how much you felt my struggles! I love the fact that to you, the woman was bent over for 18 “long” years! Her suffering didn’t go unnoticed before you! You really do see and wipe away every tear! I am amazed that you multiplied the bread because you were concerned they might collapse on the way home. I love seeing your action for imperfect people in time and space on planet earth! I love the fact that your “heart went out” to the widow of Nain in her great despair and ultimate suffering! Teach me how to see your action in my life! Help me remember and write it down so I can continue to delight in you and grow my faith! Seeing Jesus’ empathy for weak people helps me see your empathy, Father!
- The Patience of Jesus: Peter fails to continue walking on water so Jesus instructs him vs rejecting him. (Matt 14:31)
o Description: Depending on how whole or broken your image of God – you can hear various things in Jesus reply to Peter “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” However, it is critical to realize that while Peter failed, but Jesus didn’t reject him. Jesus merely instructs Peter – indicating that he didn’t have to doubt. Peter could have kept his eyes on Jesus and rejected the fear of the wind and waves. And this is consistent with Jesus instructing Peter when He falls asleep in Gethsemane (Mk 14:32), or when Peter fails to understand the parable (Matt 15:16), or when Peter breaks a holy moment on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mk 9:5), or when Peter speaks for Jesus re: the temple tax without consulting Him (Matt 17:24), or when Peter denies even knowing Jesus with curses and an oath (Matt 26:74)! Jesus does one thing; He instructs Peter time and time again so he can bear more and more fruit in this age and the next. Yes, He may discipline or correct Peter, but Jesus never rejects Him!
o Prayer: Jesus you are incredible! The more I see your patience with Peter’s failings, the more I have confidence to serve you! You come along side Peter and instruct him time and time again! This really encourages me to reach for the things you call me to. Now I know you will not reject me when I fail, but you will instruct and challenge me in a wholesome way so that I may bear more fruit now and in the age to come.
o Goal: Praying through the many failures of Peter reveals the “steady patience” of Jesus! It causes us to gain confidence that the Lord will not reject us but will strengthen us to do good now and to care about people! This confidence before the Lord will enable us to take more risks in God and reach for His good will!
- The Praise of Jesus: Jesus praises Nathaniel, Peter, the Roman Centurion and the Canaanite Woman
o Description: Jesus praises imperfect people for things they are making good progress in. Jesus praises Nathaniel for honesty and a lack of hypocrisy (Jn 1:47). Jesus praises Peter, amid all his failures & sin, for hearing clearly from the Father (Matt 16:17)! Jesus saves His greatest praise for the gentile Roman Centurion (Luke 7:9) and the Canaanite Woman (Matt 15:27). Jesus says she has “Great Faith” compared to the disciples who have “little faith.”
o Prayer: Wow – you are really good! You find things in imperfect sinful people to compliment and praise! I never thought of you as “that kind of person.” I thought I would have to be perfect to get your praise. This is wonderful. This encourages me to obey you more, knowing you see my efforts and that you will praise me!
o Goal: Knowing, through scriptural examples, that Jesus is the “kind of person” who can find things to praise in us even while we are growing, failing and succeeding – motivates us to give ourselves to Him more fully! He doesn’t delight in us ONLY in the Resurrection when we are perfect – but He delights in us now!
- The Protection of Jesus: Jesus protects Mary’s fascination of Him from Judas’ Accusation (Matt 26:10)
o Mary breaks open a jar of very expensive oil and anoints Jesus head and feet – lavishing her meager retirement on Jesus. Judas, who loved money, attacks: “Why this waste? This perfume could have been sold as a high price and the money given to the poor?” Jesus turns on Judas and drops His shield of protection over Mary, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to Me!” Jesus refuses to let shame or confusion touch Mary. The accuser is not permitted to attack her.
o Prayer: Jesus, I love your protection! Seeing this makes me even more glad I am your “sheep.” What makes me great is not my gifting but that you are my Shepherd! Help me rely on you more and more. I remember the 1st time you protected Mary from Martha’s accusation that she wasn’t doing enough (Luke 10:41)! Help me become confident in your protection so I can be devoted to you in life, family, work and caring about others. I love seeing you protect the woman caught in sexual sin – even though she was guilty. You gave her time to think about what she had done, reject her sin and realign with you (John 8:1).
o Goal: Seeing the protection of Jesus causes us to realize that He is watching over us more than we realize. This helps us trust the Lord and respond to Him more deeply.
