prayer

What is it about prayer that moves the heart of God? Jesus’ passionate prayers are recorded for all eternity. How does one learn to pray like Him?


Jesus sought to do the will of the Father. In fact, He only did what He saw the Father do, and spoke the words He heard from the Father (Jn 8:28 & 12:49). Jesus knew the Father’s purpose in His life. When we read Jesus’ prayer for His disciples and those who would believe on Him (Jn 17:6 – 26) we are reading about the Father’s purposes for them, realized on the earth through the ministry of the Son. These are the kind of prayers that move God and are prayed from a heart full of the purposes of God, and our interaction with those purposes. James calls them the effectual fervent prayers of the saints (Jm 5:16b). They are born from the intimacy of fellowshipping with God.

Jesus encouraged the disciples to trust the Heavenly Father. He also trusted in God, through favorable circumstances and unfavorable circumstances. He knew that His Father was working for not only His reward, but for the good of all humanity. Paul also trusted God. His prayers were passionate, compact and inspired. They gave us a glimpse of the work of God in Paul’s heart towards the saints he prayed for (see Eph 1:15-23). Paul’s unfavorable circumstances became the basis for his fellowship with Christ (Phil 3:10-11).

Many times we pray for people we feel we ought to pray for. Some are in the habit of praying for salvation to come to a list of countries they have been given. These types of prayers can become a religious exercise. They lack intimacy with God because they are born from a sense of obligation.

Sometimes we use prayers like magic, as if saying the right words to our Lord will get Him to do something for us. This is child-like thinking and lacks intimacy because it is born from our mind, wanting to “try” God.

The intimate prayers of Jesus and Paul came from the maturity that is born of fellowship with God coupled with the passion of their hearts for His purposes to be fulfilled. They did not let their negative circumstances put them in a place of desperation but trusted the keeping of their lives and souls to the One whom they loved.

The sacrifice of Jesus sends a sweet fragrant incense up with His prayers, as does the sacrifice of our lives (2 Cor 2:15 & Rev 5:8). These prayers move the heart of God. Come aside to Him today and seek Him for His purposes in and through your life. Your prayers will be the fellowship of the Bride to her Bridegroom, which He covets. Amen