A Friend That Prays

Woodrow Kroll here when you train one pastor and some donor friends are standing by to train a second call 833-443-5467 or go online and train a pastor.com. Every gift counts and now every gift is double training pastor.com this is Rodney from the masculine journey podcast. We explored manhood within Jesus Christ your chosen Truth Network podcast starting in just a few seconds. Sit back and enjoy it, share it, most of all, thank you for listening and choosing The Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network encouraging prayer, God offers an open invitation for his people to talk with him at any time about anything encouraging prayer Dr. James Banks, author of the best-selling and many other books on prayer provides weekly for insight help you learn to love and now that Easter is tomorrow.

Yesterday was good Friday and today on encouraging prayer when I start by looking at Jesus questioned his disciples that night in the garden of Gethsemane right before his arrest. James you say there are two big takeaways from that question so much. Pick it up from there. All right, Robbie will be 26 describes a scene where Jesus is real agony as he prayed coming and he's taken Peter and James and John away with him and there in the garden of Gethsemane and he says to them stay here and keep watch with me and he goes off a little farther on its own and he prays this amazing prayer really Abba father. If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine. So just think about that.

Actually asking if there's another way, Lord, please let it happen.

So you see, you know how how Jesus is just struggling there. But at the same time he's all in for or what the father wants. Then he goes back and sees Peter and James and John, and they're just clueless.

As a matter fact her sleep.

He wakes them up. He makes it clear, couldn't you watch with me even one hour keep watch and pray so you won't give in to temptation and that's the question I want to zero in on, couldn't you watch with me even one hour okay so right after he asked goes away again comes back there asleep again so he goes back to pray and it happens one more time, and after that now that he's arrested and taken away to be crucified. That's right, but restricting to me in all of this is the way Jesus just one of the company that the big take away from that night. Could you watch with me one hour and then he explains what he means by that what he says, watch and pray he needed them to pray with him. It would been a comfort and encouragement to him in the most difficult part of his life. That's the really important thing to keep in mind here that's interesting take on this. James often when people look at this. They emphasize the amount of time and we plan our at least an hour. But you're saying that the real issue is Jesus just wanted their company absolutely think about it this way. If you've been through a difficult time with someone you love is having surgery. How how how good it is to just have someone else there with you. They don't have to say a word.

Maybe there in the waiting room with you at the hospital, you know. But you know they're there and and you know they're praying, that's a special friend takes away from it.

If there asleep exactly that would point you see what Jesus was really after. Here was their friendship and companionship in prayer and in when you have someone who's a friend and combine that with prayer. It's beautiful. Especially if you're hurting and he also wanted the disciples to pray for themselves because he knew they needed to. He knew what was coming first takeaways. This is really encouragement to be a praying friend to be that person who loves others with their prayers. Part of Robbie and the second main thing to look at is how much Jesus wants that. And that leads me wanting to be that kind of friend to him. So yes, being that friend to others, but especially being that kind of friend to him. That's the second take away just as Fox talks more about that often we think of prayer.

We should be praying for others are praising God or confessing sin or giving thanks that you're talking about something different. That's right. And that's the concept of just being with Jesus and I know we talked about it before, but I can't get away from it because on that night, especially you see how much it meant to him and does not make you wonder if it isn't something he values all of the time when we talked about this before you mentioned Mark saying that Jesus appointed the 12 disciples that they might be with him exactly they might be with him. That's in Mark 314 and it's such a simple statement easy to overlook, but just think about what that means. Jesus wanted someone to hang out with. Think about what that could mean for prayer. So often we think of prayer as this continual expense of energy. If you what we say things like, we have to pray hard door, pray until something happens. Push the course is a time and place for that.

What about just hanging out just being with them in your spirit going through the day with him being his friend sear saying that sometimes when we pray to do much at all. The beautiful thing about friendship. We don't have to be trying to make something happen.

We just love God and try to be with him more. That makes sense, and especially helps if you realize he wants me to be with him and he wants to be with me that it's not irreverent to see it that way. It actually honors God more. When we do it's just part of being a friend to get think about Abraham. For example, was called a friend of God. That's a compliment and it also makes praying easier.

You don't have to feel like you always have to be saying something. Yes that's important to think about it the best of friends don't have to talk all the time.

Sometimes the best gift you can give someone is just being quiet with that's true.

I'm honestly some of the sweetest times I've had presence have been when I wasn't trying to get anything from them at all. I was just being there with him there so much to this Robbie and that is the beauty of it, even though it's such a simple concept, it really does mean so much. So I'd like to finish this time of if we could but just asking God to help us simply be with him. I know I need that more could I do that now. Please father please help us to learn to just love you by being with you not to ask sometimes, except that we are doing right now. Please help us in your perfect love hear more from Pastor James by visiting the website James Banks.org or by visiting these church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you. Pray this is the Truth Network