Why Jesus Prayed

I look first to Jesus for clues to the mysteries of faith, and regarding prayer he did not seem to share some of my biggest struggles. He never wondered whether God exists, whether anyone is truly listening. He never questioned the importance of prayer; indeed, he would flee a crowd of needy people in order to spend time alone with God, and sometimes devote all night to the task. The way Jesus talked, prayer made everything else possible.

Jesus seemed fully at ease with the Father and at unease with the world. For him, prayer provided a refreshing reminder of cosmic reality, the 'view from above' so often obscured on planet earth. Sometimes Jesus reminisced about that hidden realm: praying at supper the night of his arrest he recalled 'the glory I had with you before the world began'. Occasionally he felt such frustration with conditions on earth that he would let loose with a sigh: 'O unbelieving generation, how long shall I put up with you?' Jesus came from a place where God's command met no opposition; he knew exactly what he was asking when he instructed us to pray, 'your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.'

Just as Jesus reminisced about his suspended identity, in a few rare instances the Father brought it tenderly to mind. 'You are my son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased,' God said as Jesus emerged from the water at his baptism. He heard a similar word of reinforcement at the Mount of Transfiguration - a close encounter that left his disciples face-down on the ground, terrified - and yet another at a melancholy moment shortly before his death. Each time, bystanders heard the voice and were startled by the phenomenon. Jesus, a refugee from heaven, felt comfort, not astonishment.

From his thirty-something years on earth, we have only these three glimpses of a supernatural boost. The rest of the time, for spiritual nourishment Jesus relied on the very thing we reply on: prayer. Jesus counted on prayer as a source of strength that equipped him to carry out a partnership with God the Father on earth. Jesus freely admitted his dependence: 'the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing.'

In a telling comment Jesus also said, 'your Father knows what you need before you ask him.' He could not mean that prayer is unnecessary, for his own life belied that. He could only mean that we need not strive to convince God to care; the Father already cares, more than we can know. Prayer is not a matter of giving God new information. Instead of presenting requests as if God may not know them, it might be more appropriate to say 'God, you know I need this!'

And this is how Tim Stafford found a sort of resolution to his questions about prayer:

Here, I believe, is the key to understanding what is most personal in prayer. We do not pray to tell God what he does not know, nor to remind him of things he has forgotten. He already cares for the things we pray about ..... He has simply been waiting for us to care about them with him. When we pray, we stand by God and look with him towards people and problems. When we lift our eyes from them towards him, we do so with loving praise, just as we look towards our oldest and dearest friends and tell them, though they already it .... We speak to him as we speak to our most intimate friends - so that we can commune together in love.

- Prayer : Does it make any difference

January 09

Yes I'm quite free at the moment so a look back of 1 month is possible. Then again, its not like it's a happening month anyway, haha.

Finally managed to really rest this month after hectic schedules @ the tail end of 08 and rest means not going out @ all. To be able to stay @ home from Mon to Fri till cell grp feels awesome. It's like a hermit who hid in the cave and is out after his training, lol. The rest was necessary though, health hasn't been great recently, must be due to age catching up, all the exercises and i still fall sick. For now, it's back to normal so can enjoy the CNY better, Yeah !

This month aside, the time i've left before i eventually find and start work is short. The freedom is something i'll definitely miss but the most impt part is being able to spend time with my parents. Once you work, u have so little time even to yourself, i'm treasuring every moment of it for now ! Will work out an internal plan in order to still give time to family and friends, that's for sure. Where did i put my checklist ah, hehe.

I've been blessed lots for a few mths alrdy, not having to plan or organise gatherings or meet ups much with ppl. It's always the other way rd, kind of enjoy it lots but ya, i need to play my part as well in maintaining friendships so i'm back to the usual routine le, haha. It's necessary, after all, with cell grp on fri, svcs on sat, the time to even talk to someone isnt always readily available. I can come to church earlier and leave later than most and in betw, those who r ard on sat, you don't really catch them after service at all. So wat's the next best option, msn or facebook lo, but still face to face is the best. Never mind, if last year, i had all sorts of funny combo of ppl to hang out with, i'm sure God will plan it out this year as well if its in accordance to his plan. It should be an interesting year ahead in knowing ppl better.

January, it means a new time slot for service and till now, i totally don't know how does it feel like ! Finally, this coming sat can be down for a proper time till mar, yes ! Don't let John know i said that, haha. Still, God has assured me and it's great to have the joy again to serve in this ministry and to experience the different type of challenges presented when u try to teach very young kids. 1 of the gd things is they are very entu, so its easy to get them to learn though listening to the lesson is a totally new ball game. Learning how to be stricter 1st then can befriend them, that's wat the teachers/parents themselves say, their own kids included. It's been fun and getting to learn about God in different ways as well. Sometimes, the lessons which are so simple to understand for ppl like us are the most difficult to apply even if on the surface we say we agree to it. So yes, when u have the most honest and frank ppl ard you, you'll learn you need to improve on things if they do point it out and yes they point it out to you in front of everyone! It's a blessing i haven't been on the receiving end yet of major things, hopefully never!

That's that for jan. Not too much happenings. Now is CNY period, so mtg up with relatives and friends will be a gd time of catching up. May each one of you who read this post too be blessed and recharged by the Lord during these few days of rest from your usual hectic work life.