Images of Prayer

"And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?""
Genesis 3:8-9

 "And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying,"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed,"My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."
So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again."
Matthew 26:39,42,44


I grew up in a small Southern Baptist church in the sticks of Arkansas.  We had a piano and a gentleman that led the hymns. Though we had the Broadman hymnal with hundreds of hymns, I joked that we only sang from the weekly top 40.  One of those oft chosen hymns was Sweet Hour of Prayer.  For some reason this hymn, though it is never stated, led me to believe that a true prayer life would include a daily continuous hour of prayer.  This seemed undoable.  If that is a true prayer life then I will never get there.

Two pictures of prayer from the Bible did not improve my view:  Adam before the fall in the garden walking beside God in close conversation and Jesus in distress in the garden.  How was I to pray like that?  And an hour?  Really?  I remember feeling quite guilty many mornings because I had fallen asleep praying the night before.  Can anyone say I had a very legalistic view of prayer as a child/youth?

"Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,...praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, " Ephesians 6:14,18

 Pray all the time!?  This did not improve my understanding of prayer for quite some time.  I actually didn’t get a better understanding until I was in college.  Karen and I were part of a discipleship class that used the T.W. Hunt study The Disciple’s Prayer Life.  Through this study I believe that I gained a proper understanding of prayer.  It took almost ten years of being a believer before I was given a proper view of prayer.

I do not have an example prayer life.  I do know that the defeated view of prayer discipline is not a proper view.  The Lord wants me to seek Him and not to be defeated.  He wants me to STAND.

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