Four Words from the Good Doctor on Prayer

Do your prayers matter? Do they go anywhere?

I bet you have been in….or maybe are in a season right now where it feels like prayer does nothing and goes no where.

It can be like vertigo (a dizzy like feeling that is your brain playing tricks on you). It feels like the room or floor is spinning…but is it? Everything in us is convinced that the world is turning quickly and sporadically. In that moment we need a voice of truth, a friend or doctor to reassure us that the world is not in fact spinning.

It is also true of all of our doubts as children of God, including our doubts in prayer. We need an authoritative word of truth to clarify our reality (See Allistar Begg “Knowing vs. feeling“)

That is what I hope for you by this post; may the good doctor lead us through his Luke-Acts narrative to show us the centrality of prayer not only for ourselves, but our churches and missions.

Let’s consider the key role of prayer in God’s plan.

Luke 3

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:21-22

Did you catch it?? I never saw this until one month ago…”Jesus also had been baptized and was praying…” I have read about his baptism…read it from every gospel story…but this detail regarding Jesus’ prayer struck me for the first time just recently. Why?

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Lets consider the surrounding story that the good doctor is telling us:

1. What happens after our Lord’s prayer? “The heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove…”
2. Then after his baptism: “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness…” (Luke 4:1) We read of Jesus, full of the Spirit and led by Him goes into the wilderness where his service to the Father would begin. This post is not the place to fully elaborate this point but the wilderness temptation just might be one of the most underrated parts of Jesus’ messianic ministry. For now let us understand that Jesus’ work began there in the wilderness, and it began with the power of the Holy Spirit which he received directly following his praying. The spirit came to anoint him for the Father’s will.
3. Immediately following Jesus’ victory over the Deceiver (4:1-11) we read: “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee…And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.'” (Luke 4:14-18). we find in that last phrase a scriptural and succinct explanation of what we have already seen. The Lord has anointed His Messiah at the Jordan river to proclaim good new to the poor.

Jesus prays. The Holy Spirit is sent. The work of God is done “not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).

Keep this pattern in mind: Prayer, Holy Spirit, Powerful work.

Acts 1 & 2

Once Jesus has returned to his Father to sit down at the right hand of power, His disciples return to Jerusalem. We read:

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer…

Acts 1:14

Quick note…keep in mind that the good doctor is the author of Luke as well as the Acts narrative. He holds to similar themes and patterns across his story telling.

With that in mind it is safe to say that it is important to note that one of the disciples’ first acts as a group is to pray there in that upper room.

Photo by Pedro Lima on Unsplash

What happens shortly after?

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:1-4

Thus far in Acts, the body of Christ, the Church, seems to be following in the foot steps of the head of that body, that is Jesus: praying followed by the power of the Holy Spirit.

But does the pattern continue? Yes…go read the rest of Acts 2…”there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (2:41)

Disciples pray. The Holy Spirit is sent. The work of God is done “not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of the LORD of hosts” (Zech. 4:6).

Is this a coincidence?

Is this merely a coincidence or is it a pattern intentionally set before us by the good doctor?

This is certainly a theme of the good doctor for the purpose of teaching. Quickly consider these final two passages:

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Acts 4:31

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.

Acts 13:2-3

Do you see our pattern in both of these texts: prayer, power, and pursuit of God’s mission?

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

The Good Doctors Prescription:

1. Lively dependence on our heavenly Father. We must not merely say that we need the Lord God. That must be a lively reality most clearly seen in prayer. Jesus, the leader we follow is seen in such a posture. He gives himself to prayer that he might be strengthened by the Lord’s Spirit. This is a lively dependence that we too need to embody.
2. This lively dependence, the praying life is imbedded in God’s design for humanity. Jesus, the sinless one, truly man, is the ideal human, the one whom we are conformed to by the Father’s work (Rom. 8:29). As we are made more like Jesus our praying should become more natural and frequent.
3. Finally, this active dependence on God and desiring his Spirit’s power is to be done corporately. This praying is the work of the body of Christ, a work done by Christ when he lived in body on this earth. Now this is a work given by our Head to the body the Church. Notice in Acts that the prayer, Spirit’s coming, and gospel work happens when God’s people are praying together. This is a practice we are malnourished in many protestant churches. These texts show us the great need for churches to have times together for prayer.

Conclusion

The work of God goes forward in power as the Spirit is given in anointing on the praying children of God. Let us gather with our brethren and pray to our Father who is in heaven.