“During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.“ Hebrews 5:7
This is part 3 of a 7 part series helping us strive to reach a new “personal best” in our relationship with God. Last week we looked at “participating in God’s divine nature.” This week we will focus on praying and look at Jesus. How can his praying teach us so much about effective prayers?
Praying is a way God has given us to connect with Him, rely on Him, cast our burdens on Him, and much more Why were Jesus' prayers heard?
There are many good answers:
because of his loud cries and tears (heartfelt intensity)
because he was The Son of God (This was what I would have guessed)
because he was righteous
because he was sinless
because he had faith
because he believed in the power of prayer
because he was consistent and prayed every day
The actual verse “because of his reverent submission” (Hebrews 5:8) is even more surprising and more encouraging. Here’s why:
Do you want to be heard by God? Do you want your prayers to result in God’s action? Don’t we all?
We can’t be sinless like Jesus was sinless. We can’t be as faithful as He was, as consistent as He was, as joyful as He was. But we can cultivate the attitude of reverent submission, and that’s what got Jesus’ prayers heard.
This is probably the most important key to impacting prayer (and to a powerful walk with God): reverent submission.
What is reverent submission? It is an attitude, an understanding about God. It is a perspective that explains how you view your relationship with God. Submission comes in more than one form. Just because we submit, doesn’t mean we are reverent. Do you ever feel like you are God’s hostage? Do you feel like He has a gun pointed at your head, and if you don’t do what He says, He’ll just blow you away? That’s a pretty common perspective on God. It happens to people who understand God’s Power and Justice enough to fear Him, but don’t understand His Love and Compassion enough to love Him back.
Hostage submission is resentful submission. It’s faithless. It’s something we need to grow out of as we mature spiritually. Reverent submission is an attitude. It is based on understanding the Glory of God that we see in the Scriptures and in the world around us. It’s a natural result of participating in the divine nature.
In English, we can sum up reverent submission in one sentence: “Not my will, but yours, O God.”
Jesus walked a difficult road His entire life. He lived out reverent submission every day, every step, every choice. He always found out what was on His “to do” list from God, and He always did His Best.
Focus on growing in your reverent submission, and watch what happens in response to your prayers to God.
Actions for week 3:
A. Think about the last two weeks. Is anything different? Who did you talk with last week about your personal best? Isn’t it great to have godly friends who are also trying to grow? What kind of commitment does it take to become thoroughly equipped by God’s Word? Are you willing to step up to the challenge of being a Man or Woman of God?
B. Memorize and study out 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18.
C. Study out 1 Timothy 2: 1-8. What are the different types of prayer Paul listed? Why is each important?
D. Find someone you can pray with this week. Pray together about things that touch your feelings, not just the “I know I should pray about it” stuff. Pray for each other.
E. Think about your previous “personal best” in your walk with God. What were your prayers like then? How does that compare with your prayers this week and the 2 prior weeks?
Next Week: Faithful Sacrifice