“And he came out and went, as he was won’t, to the mountain of olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed” – Luke 22:39-41
LIGHT FOR NOW: The believer must develop, cultivate, culture and build the life of prayer. Prayer ought to be his lifestyle.
That term “As he was wont” in our key text above means something you do by force of habit or culture. Let’s see two other translations of our key text to grasp deep clarity. The Amplified bible renders Luke 22:39-41 this way “And He came out and went, as was His habit, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples also followed him. And when he came to the place, He said to them, Pray that ye may not [at all] enter into temptation. And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw and knelt down and prayed” – the Amplified bible renders it this way “as was His habit”. So prayer was a habit for Jesus. The Young’s literal translation (1898) renders Luke 22:39-41 this way “And having gone forth, he went on, according to his custom, to the mount of the olives, and his disciples also followed him, and having come to the place, he said to them; pray ye not to enter into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them, as it were a stone’s cast, and having fallen on the knees he was praying”. So, prayer was Jesus’ custom.
He was given so much to prayer, such that the synoptic recorded him praying. Other writers of the synoptic captured his lifestyle of prayer. Do you know what Jesus does early in the morning during his earthly walk? He prayed! Mark 1:35 captures this, it reads “In the morning He rose early, while it was still quite dark, and leaving the house He went away to a solitary place and there prayed”. So, early in the morning, he was praying! What happened in the evening? He was also praying. Listen to Matthew 14:23 as it captures this, it reads “When He had done this, He climbed the hill to pray in solitude. Night came on, and he was there alone”. Jesus even had moments he prayed all night. Luke 6:12 captures this; it reads “About that time He went out on one occasion into the hill country to pray; and He remained all night in prayer to God”. So, prayer really was Jesus’ custom. Prayer was his habit. And if he is our model, then that habit of his should be our habit. Develop the culture of prayer. Glory!
INSTRUCTION: Learn the prayer culture.
CONFESSION: I build in me the habit of prayer; I don’t just know, sing or talk about prayer, I pray, in Jesus Name, Amen
QUOTE: The believer’s lifestyle should not be negligent of prayer.
DAILY BIBLE READING: MORNING: LUKE CHAPTER 5; EVENING: LUKE CHAPTER 9
LIGHT FROM THE WORD 