Luke 6:12-16
Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.
In this verse we see that Lord had to choose His disciples so what He did He prayed entire nigh before choosing the twelve, so just think about it how much Jesus Christ relyed on prayers. So even we need to rely on prayers to make any decisions in our life, so exactly what are you doing through Prayers you are asking Lord to do things on your behalf.
Luke 22:41-46
And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said to them, “Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation.”. In this verse The Lord Jesus Christ is praying and in His prayer what is He saying ” Father if it is your will take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will but yours be done”. These are the last moments in Lords life as we read about it in Matthew, He says to the Father let your will be done not mine, sometimes in our life we are confused we don’t know what to do and we become weak, the same manner Jesus Christ became weak but look at Him He looked upto the Father so that He gets strength and He is able to fullfill His will. So sometime in our life we need to leave it to The Heavenly Father to decide. And fullfill His desire not ours. Then Lord prayed again and this He prayed more earnestly that His sweat became like drops of blood falling down to the ground. He prayed beyond human ability nobody can pray the way prayed but again here the Word comes everything is possible in the Lord so we can try to pray the way Jesus Christ prayed. I know some people might say it is not possible to pray the way Jesus Christ prayed but there is nothing like trying. He got up from Prayers and came to His disciples but they were sleeping from sorrow what did sleeping from sorrow. It’s a very interesting point sleeping with sorrow don’t we do the same thing when we are sad the best possible thing that comes in our mind is sleep but the Lord says Rise and pray so that you do not enter into temptation, if your sad don’t think sleep is the solution of getting rid of the sadness no it is prayer that will bring you out of sadness.
John 17-6:26
“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
Lord is praying for those whom Father has given Him He doesn’t pray for the world, because they belong to the Father. And Jesus Christ continues saying that all which belongs to Him belongs to the heavenly Father. Jesus Christ keeps on praying for all of the disciples and all those who will believe in Him that is us. He prays by saying that He is going back to the Father. Jesus Christ says keep through your name those whom you have given me where is the name of God here its in the name Yeshua that means every thing is kept through the name of Jesus Christ because in His name the name of our heavenly Father is there. The Lord prays I have given them Your Word that is Word of God and the world has hated them because they are not of the world in the same manner brother’s and sister’s the world hates because you abide in the Lord the way disciples were hated . And Lord doesn’t pray to the Father that you take them away from the world but you keep them from evil . So here comes a point when lot of people ask if I want to follow Lord do I need to be away from the world so my answer is no not at all because your Heavenly Father is all the time protecting you just think about you are in a battlefield wearing all the armor to protect yourself then also there is a possibility that you can still get shot but when your Heavenly Father is protecting you will never ever get shot that is the prayer which Jesus Christ made for us. The last verses says “Sanctify them by your truth not by any truth but by the truth of the word those who walk by the Word of God they don’t or you can say they can’t lie because that person is filled by the Word of God which only is the truth and only speaks the truth. Abhi not there not there
Acts 1:14
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Who these the disciples of the Lord in one accord in unity which lacks today in our Churches and who else was praying it was the mother of Jesus Christ and why they praying? to receive the Holy Spirit so in this verse we learn two things first we there should be unity in our prayers and secondly when mother of Jesus Christ needed the Holy Spirit even so we needed and there is one more thing all spoke in tounges even mother Mary spoke in tounges to signify thT even she is baptized unto the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
Can you imagine the power of the prayers of the apostles they entire place was shake and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke the Word with boldness not with timidness but with boldness so what prayers does to us it makes us bold to speak the Word it makes us strong to do Lords work.
Acts 6:2-4
Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The disciples of the Lord was facing a problem they were feeding people as well so that was effecting their prayer life, so they decided to chose people to do this work so that they can give time to prayers are priority has to be prayers and prayers.
Acts 8:14-17
Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Here the people of Samaria had received the word but they were not baptized with Holy Spirit so Peter and John were send to them and when they arrived there they prayed for the people of Samaria so that they receive the Holy Spirit, here again we see that apostles relied on prayers for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. There is something more over here you need to be baptized by the Holy Spirit it is not enough just to receive The Word.
Acts 9:36-40
At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did. But it happened in those days that she became sick and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. And since Lydda was near Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent two men to him, imploring him not to delay in coming to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he had come, they brought him to the upper room. And all the widows stood by him weeping, showing the tunics and garments which Dorcas had made while she was with them. But Peter put them all out, and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body he said, “Tabitha, arise.” And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up.
Here again we see a widow was dead and apostle Peter was called so he came he knelt and he prayed and the widow became alive. Now lot of people will ask why you are giving these verses to build a temple that is your body because pray transforms us , it just makes us what Lord wants us to be. Without prayers it is not possible to grow in the Lord.
Acts 12:1-12
Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.
In this verse also we see when Peter was put in the prison he was praying and he was saved by angel of the Lord to come out of the prison and even when he reached the disciples they were praying together, just can you send the unity these people had they used to pray together most of the time. This verse quite long when you read it but see the word pray is given so much importance. We should also start to give importance to our prayer life.
Let the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ fill you. Amen
Temple of the Living God 