July 30, 2024
Building People of Substance for Works of Power
21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 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 ESV
This is the first mention of Jesus praying. Although he was and is the Son of God, Jesus lived on earth as a man anointed by the Holy Spirit. As believers, you and I also live on earth as humans anointed by the Holy Spirit. If the uniquely begotten Son found it necessary to pray, then surely you and I need to pray even more. What can we learn from the example of how Jesus prayed? What did he pray for? When did he pray and what happened? How do these examples apply to my own life? There’s a lot to learn.
The first mention of him praying is at his baptism, but I’m sure he prayed many times before that. He was an observant Jew and spent so much time in the synagogue that he baffled the teachers in the Temple when he was only 12 years old. I like to ask, “Why was this particular story included in the Bible? What am I supposed to learn from it? What was so significant about his prayer in this incident that Luke thought to record it?”
Jesus presented himself to John the Baptist at the River Jordan when he was about 30 years old. He had grown up as the son of a carpenter. Somewhere along the way he realized that he had a divine destiny. His parents knew a few things. They had experienced angelic visitations and received prophecies from human messengers. We don’t know if they shared these things with Jesus as he grew up, but it’s hard to imagine that they failed to mention it for thirty years.
What we do know is that he approached John that day ready to be cleansed for entry into his ministry, his destiny. He would go from being just the carpenter’s son to being the one who says he is the Messiah, the King of the Kingdom. He was taking a step of obedience that would set him on a path to shake Israel, fulfill God’s plan, and change the world. No turning back! Nothing will ever be the same.
In this crucial moment, Jesus was purified in baptism by the recognized prophet of the day. His baptism was not a baptism of repentance, but of initiation into his priesthood (Exodus 19). It was accompanied by the visible and audible confirmation of everything his parents and John the Baptist had been told about him. The Spirit of God came upon Him to abide and to give Him power for the works ahead (Acts 10:38). The secret was out, and the devil knew it. He came immediately to steal the word that had been spoken (Matthew 3:16-17; 4:1).
When Jesus took the step that brought him into the spiritual and political limelight, we can only guess how he must have felt. He was human, after all. Luke tends to emphasize the human side of Jesus, and he is the only gospel writer to record that Jesus was praying at his baptism. That he prayed shows the importance of prayer for human beings! And what a moving human moment it was! The NET Bible Notes tells us that the literal reading is, “and while Jesus was being baptized and praying”. Think about it: Jesus was praying while He was being baptized!
For Jesus, prayer was not reserved for the synagogue or the prayer closet, or the blessing over a meal. Personal contact with the Father was a constant part of life, part of his moment-to-moment reality. Prayer was a state of being, not an occasional activity: “Father, I will obey, but You are coming with me!” What does this example say to us?
Here’s the Point: You and I are human beings born of the Spirit, anointed by the Spirit, and sent out into the world to represent the King and the Kingdom. That’s quite a calling. Anyone who truly follows Jesus will face a series of challenges, spiritual leaps forward with eternal implications. We are meant to step into our destiny by making prayer a part of every waking moment. We can develop a moment-to-moment conscious contact with God. Like Enoch, we can walk with God.
- Walking with God will require change. Each new step into His image and service will be a call to move from the comfort of complacency to the challenge of change. Pray your way through it!
- Walking with God will require you to do things you can’t do on your own. He will provide the power. The Holy Spirit has come upon us to abide, just as He did upon Jesus. We may see our calling in the Word, we may have dozens of prophetic words spoken over us, but at some point we have to take a step that seems too big for us. It is! Take the step of obedience. Pray your way through it!
- Walking with God will inevitably bring opposition. You have a very real spiritual enemy. There will be the voice that cries out: “Did God really say…?” Don’t be dismayed. You are equipped with the same Spirit and the same “It is written” that Jesus had. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Don’t fear the battle. Pray your way through it!
Paul alluded to it repeatedly, but we tend to ignore it, reserving our “prayer time” for a few moments in the morning or on the drive to work. It’s time to rethink the instructions to ”pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), “be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12), and “praying at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18).
We’re never alone, but we’re often out of touch.
Lead a life of prayer.
Pastor Virgil
3141 W. Ironwood Hill Dr.
Tucson, AZ 85741
pastorvirgil.com 