How to talk to God the way Jesus did
There are few people in the Bible that God talked to audibly. Although we have it as a way to listen to Him, who wouldn’t want to hear His voice?. Through Jesus, we can come to God freely. He demonstrated for us how to spend time and talk to God.
1. Pray in solitude
Prophet Elijah spent time with God alone, and He came to him in a “gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:9, 12). Likewise, God frequently led King David to “quiet waters” (Psalm 23:1-3).
Although Jesus often spent time with crowds—He spent more time going to a lonely (erēmos) place to pray. (Luke 5:16)
BIBLE VERSE FOR SEXUAL PURITY.
2. Jesus prayed early in the morning
Jesus did not only pray in solitary places but went on very early in the morning to talk to His Father in heaven. (Mark 1:35)
Jesus said that when you pray, “Go into your room, close the door, and pray to God who is unseen but is everywhere” (Matthew 6:6). God tells us to be still and know that He is God. (Psalm 46:10)
→ Why prayers are sometimes ignored.
3. Praise God’s name!
Jesus taught us the way to pray, and it begins with worshiping God’s name. God’s divine name, “YHWH,” is ineffable (incapable of being expressed in words). We say “LORD,” which means the supreme one.
Despite our sins, we are made holy in Christ. We can come directly to the LORD and call Him “Our Father” (Hebrews 10:10). The prayer Jesus taught begins with “Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name!” (Matthew 6:9–10)
→ 5 Reasons why God doesn’t hear your prayers.
4. Practice regular fasting
Biblical fasting was a widespread tradition in Biblical times. The Apostles frequently fasted, and Jesus fasted for 40 days. Some people fast for the wrong reasons: fasting should be accompanied by prayers. Otherwise, fasting becomes dieting.
The most common reason for fasting is when someone’s sick, accompanied by deep humility and prayers, asking God to intervene. (Psalm 35:13)
→ Scientific and Biblical reasons for fasting.
5. Ask God’s will not yours
We should pray unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), but some prayers are left unanswered. God looks at our hearts, and many times, we ask for the wrong things and have the wrong motives (James 4:3).
All things were created through Jesus (Colossians 1:16), yet, He tells His Father, “Not My will, but Yours be done” (Mark 14:36).
We must wait upon the Lord (Psalm 27:14) because God doesn’t move according to our timeline. (Read Daniel 10:12 commentary)
How should we interpret difficult Bible verses? When the plain sense of scripture makes common sense, don’t complicate its meaning. Take every word of it as literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context are nonsense. (Rephrased, Dr. David L. Cooper, 1886-1965, founder of The Biblical Research Society)
FURTHER READING:
Powerful declarations in Jesus’ name.
The best family prayer.
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