Awaken The Dawn

The Astounding Prayer Life of Jesus

food whose sincerity might be doubted. In contrast, can you imagine what it would be like to hear Jesus pray before eating? A Mountaintop Experience Jesus one day asked His disciples who the multitude thought He was. They gave various answers, but Peter boldly proclaimed, “The Christ of God.” The setting for this question and answer was “while He was praying alone.” It may be that the question was a subject of Jesus’ prayers at that time. Notice from this text that Jesus did pray when His disciples were close at hand. Eight days later, Jesus took Peter, James, and John “and went up to the mountain to pray.” During prayer, Jesus was transfigured with dazzling light. 15 Returning from the mountain, Jesus found His frustrated disciples trying to heal a boy who had violent seizures. He quickly released the unclean spirit from the boy. Jesus also repri- manded the disciples for their unbelief. Could it not be that Jesus’ great faith at that moment was directly linked to His time of communion with the Father on the moun- tain? Apparently, later, Peter understood the importance of prayer, for he told the early Church that he and the other apostles must devote themselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word. Brimming over with Joy and Assurance The Gospels give us three beautiful examples of the spon- taneous joy and blessed assurance that characterize Jesus,

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