2:41 Then those who
gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls
were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine
and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Prayer. One word but under the umbrella of that word are a
variety of ideas and practices. Mark tells us that Jesus regularly got up while
it was still dark and went off to a solitary place to pray. Matthew tells us
the Pharisees had a habit of praying loud and long in the street for others to
see and hear. Jesus had nothing good to say about that practice. A glimpse into
the content of their prayers reveals that it was mostly about how
"good" they were and how "bad" others were. Quite a
contrast from Jesus' prayers.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about prayer in the life
of Jesus was the day the disciples came to Him asking Him to teach them to
pray. Grown men raised Jewish asking to be taught how to pray. Clearly the
prayer life of Jesus was very different from everything they had seen and heard
and did themselves.
Yesterday I hinted that something significant happened at the
cross that changed prayer significantly. Let me explain. (Later today I will
post this on my blog with pictures that will make it easier to understand.)
Prayer is talking to God. How we pray reflects to a large
degree how we see/understand Him. If we see Him as expecting things from us
then we pray like the Pharisees did, essentially offering our résumé to Him so
He'll have to bless us and give us what we want.

The veil, the inaccessible rooms, and the courtyard wall all
symbolized the barriers sin had erected between us and Him. When a relationship
is broken you can feel the wall between you and that person even when there is
no literal wall.

What is my point? Those first believers gladly prayed often
and boldly because through Jesus they could see and understand that God did not
want a résumé nor did He desire to be far off and unapproachable. He was full
of mercy just as Moses had been shown centuries before. He wants us. He loves
us. He loves to hear from us.
Prayer is the breath of the soul and prayer is talking to God
as though talking to a friend because He is our friend.
"Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down His
life for His friends."
The last night before His death He told His disciples "I
no longer call you servants. I call you friends."
When you understand the traditional view of the
Master/disciple relationship that is a hugely significant statement. We can
talk to Him any time. He is our friend and His throne is mercy.
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