Praying for life, Praying Toward Vision (Mark 1:35 and John 15:14)
Mark 1:35 It starts out by saying very early in the morning.
• This helps avoid distractions. Jesus beat the crowds and distractions by getting up very early.
• Then it says Jesus left the house. He had to find that quiet place to connect with His father.
• The next phrase says “solitary place.” The word used here can mean desert or wilderness
o This is interesting because the Lord meets so many biblical characters in the desert or wilderness.
• Then of course he prayed. The verb to pray here is in the passive voice in the Greek.
John 15:14 Jesus starts out by saying that we are His friends.
• It is important to see that obedience is not what makes us His friend, but rather it is what characterizes His friends. As I find a friend in Jesus, I am more inclined to follow in His ways.
• He goes on to say that we are such trusted friends that He has told us all of the Father’s business.
• Jesus goes on and says that He chose us. He chose us to bear fruit, and fruit that will last.
o Because I have become friends with Jesus, I now get to bear His kingdom fruit.
Verse 16 Because we have borne fruit, we will be able to ask in prayer for whatever we want.
• It’s a result clause in the Greek.
How does this help us pray? Two thoughts:
First, our prayers are answered because of our fruit. Doesn’t that seem back ward?
o You would think that our fruit would come as the answer to our prayers.
• As our character become more like Him, the Father can now trust us with the answers to our prayers.
o Because we are both exhibiting the character of Jesus and praying according to his character.
Second, our prayers are rooted in our friendship
• We can pray with the same kind of trust we have with a really good friend.
o So as we pray we can pray with partnership, and friendship in mind.
o Knowing that Jesus will value our input and not demean us in any way for asking.
• When we take this mind set into prayer it becomes conversational, from a place of relationship.
Remember back in Mark 1:35 the verb “to pray” was in the middle voice.
• In the Middle voice the idea originates with another but we participate with it. Prayer starts with God.
o He is not dictating the prayers, rather He is leading our heart into alignment with His.
• Then we cooperate with it. We say yes and amen to the prayer He already put in us.
o Once we cooperate with it, of course He will answer it.
John 5 is a great example of this kind of praying
First, Jesus says My Father is always at work.
Second, Jesu can only do what He sees the Father doing. In fact, it says Jesus can do nothing by himself.
o So the prayers and works of Jesus originate with the Father.
Third, Jesus says because the Father loves me, He shows me all He does. Jesus then passed that along to us.
