Prayer was very important in the life of Jesus Christ as seen throughout the book of Luke. Let’s do a topical study of prayer based on Luke’s Gospel. First, collect all the references where Jesus is praying or talking about prayer. Reflect on each reference and its context and write out what you find about prayer. Then correlate this information into an outline.
Here’s my outline: the Title: Prayer, a Key to Effective Living. Three main points are: the practice of prayer, the purpose of prayer, and the power of prayer. Then amplify each point.
Under the practice of prayer we find, Jesus made time for prayer. Luke 5:16 says He often retreated to lonely places to pray. If He didn’t find time during the day, He prayed at night. On at least one occasion He prayed all night. His practice was regular, generally private and intense. Obviously, prayer to Him was serious business and a vital part of His daily life.
Under the purpose of prayer I learned that prayer opened the door for His Father to bless Him. This happened at His baptism and at His transfiguration. When He was in a situation where what was available to Him was not adequate to meet a need, He would express thanks to His Father for what He had. He knew, whatever He had, if it was gratefully accepted, would be multiplied by the Father to be adequate. You see this in His feeding of the 5000. In the garden of Gethsemane He prayed for Himself as He faced the cross.
In our next visit we will continue to amplify this outline on prayer.
