We continue to glean from the Lord’s practice of prayer. Two things are central in the examples we see that raise two more questions here:

• Is glorifying God central to your life’s goals:
• Is finishing the work He committed to you primary consideration in all your undertakings?

We list below the prayers made by the Lord:

1. At that time Jesus began to say, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [and I acknowledge openly and joyfully to Your honor], that You have hidden these things from the wise and clever and learned, and revealed them to babies [to the childish, untaught, and unskilled]. Matthew 11:25 (see also Luke 10:21)—Here we see Jesus honoring the Father openly in thanksgiving for understanding how the Father is working.
2. So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. Yes, I know You always hear and listen to Me, but I have said this on account of and for the benefit of the people standing around, so that they may believe that You did send Me [that You have made Me Your Messenger] John 11:41-42—Again an open acknowledgement of the Father for backing up the words spoken by Jesus.
3. [Rather, I will say,] Father, glorify (honor and extol) Your [own] name! Then there came a voice out of heaven saying, I have already glorified it, and I will glorify it again. John 12:28—Emphasis again is the Father’s glory

Emphasis and priority of prayer is the speaking of and to the honour and glory of our Maker! Is that the case in your prayer life? These were fully reflected in the prayers Jesus made for the disciples and ourselves in John 17, that we may glorify Him and prioritize doing the work of making God known in our respective generations! It certainly is not about money, or house or marriage or any of our desires, all of which will come when we learn to live as spoken to in Matthew 6:33 and Psalm 37:4. Consider these truths as opened up to us and let’s make the corrections needed that our prayers may have the result that our Father is ever willing to give us. Selah.

Pastor Afolabi Oladele