Down To The River To Pray

DOWN TO THE RIVER TO PRAY

“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.” - Luke 3:21-22

Allison Krauss is credited for the popularity of the song, “Down To The River To Pray.” The song is believed to have been originally published in 1867. The Allison Krauss rendition of this song was used in the film, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” The tune is used during a river baptism scene in the movie. To be honest, I've never seen this movie, just bits and pieces of it. What I've seen keeps me from recommending it to anyone.

When we think of the song, “Down To The River To Pray,” we typically visualize a river baptism, don't we? Yet the song doesn't specifically mention baptism. But prayer and baptism should go together. The Gospel of Luke records, “... that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened.” Jesus prayed at His baptism. It would be a memorable day for a number of reasons.

First all, it was a memorable day because the Son of God was baptized by John. What a tremendous honor! One of the highlights of my Christian life was the day I was baptized by my father. I was baptized in a creek on a Mother's Day. It was hot that day. In fact, I was nearly dried off by the heat before I got back in the car. It was a special day I won't forget. As a pastor, I've had the pleasure of baptizing converts. A few pastors can testify of celebrities that they have baptized, but I can't say that I've baptized any celebrities. To me, every person is special, whether they are well-known or not. Yet John had the distinct honor of baptizing the Savior of the world! Wow!

Secondly, it was a memorable day because the Holy Trinity made their presence known to the observers. The Son was baptized in Jordan, the Spirit came down like a dove and the Father spoke from heaven, affirming His Son. That was a special day!

Third, it was a great event because Jesus received verbal appreciation from His Father. It meant a lot to me when I received praise from my father. The Father was pleased with Jesus and let Him know it!

Fourth, it was a glorious day because John would give verbal testimony that Jesus is the Messiah. John had been sent as a forerunner for Jesus, preparing the way for the Lord. When Jesus came to the baptismal waters, it was John that proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.” John had promised that the Messiah was coming. Now He was blessed to recognize and testify of the Lord's arrival. John's ministry had led to this pinnacle event of identifying the Son of God.

Next, it was memorable because Jesus was identifying with John's message. John had preached a strong message about sin. He had been proclaiming that the Messiah was coming. John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. Obviously, Jesus did not need to repent, but He was aligning Himself with the core message of John.

Also, Jesus was bold enough to pray in front of others. Yes, others were watching. In fact, two of the men who witnessed His baptism would become His disciples.

Finally, it was a special event because Jesus' ministry seemed to kick into high gear after His baptism. The baptism of Jesus seemed to be the launching point of His preaching ministry. Soon thereafter, the ministry of Jesus seemed to explode with growth, while John's ministry diminished.

Yet at this special event, Jesus prayed. Again, we have no record about the content of His prayer. We suspect that it was a brief prayer, but there is little said about its duration. We just know that Jesus spoke to His Father and His Father responded.

Sometimes we have special moments in our lives that seem so glorious to us. It would be easy to be caught up in the moment and forget to pray. Jesus gives us an example that we need to apply personally. When the mountain peak events occur, never forget to thank God for them. Be engaged in prayer even when things are going great.

Have you ever noticed that a momentous occasion is typically followed by great adversity? That would be the case for Jesus, too. Right after His baptism, He faced the tempter in the mountain. We should remain in prayer during the peak moments of life, knowing that the enemy is ready to attack at any moment.

Every event in life should be bathed in prayer. Every location can be a special place of prayer. There is not a bad place or time to pray.

In fact, it's a good time to pray right now.

Learning From An Expert

LEARNING FROM AN EXPERT

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” - Luke 11:1

I am not an expert on any subject. I am more of a dabbler. I dabble in this and I dabble in that. I know a little about several things, but I'm an expert at none of them. There is not a long line of people waiting at my door, asking for my advice. I will never be an old sage that grows a beard and sits on a hilltop as pilgrims come to learn from my vast knowledge and worldly wisdom.

There are experts in our world. These are individuals who've taken a subject and have become so proficient that millions admire them and seek to learn from them. John Maxwell, for instance, heard that if you studied a subject one hour a day for five consecutive years, you'd become an expert in that field. He applied himself to learn about leadership for five years. Today, he is considered a leadership guru. His books on the subject have sold millions.

Many athletes, actors and musicians fall into the category of experts. Yet it is important to learn the right subject from these experts. For instance, it wouldn't be wise to learn about basketball from Warren Buffet or finances from Michael Jordan. If you reversed the roles, you'd find them to be very proficient in their field of expertise.

When it comes to the subject of prayer, I find that a lot of Christians are dabblers, but few are experts. In fact, the best prayer warrior would probably admit that prayer continues to be a work in progress. We are all still learning about this subject. I heard of a preacher who was approached by someone wishing to conduct a seminar about prayer. The preacher was asked if he knew an expert on the subject who'd be willing to talk about it. The old preacher rubbed his chin and responded, “Well, there are people who pray and don't talk about it and those who talk about it but don't pray, so no, I can't recommend anyone.”

There's some truth in that, isn't there? The best prayer warriors would rather keep certain aspects of their prayer-life private. There are some things that are too personal and holy to talk about. On the other hand, there are many who are anxious to be interviewed about the subject. Yet if the details of their daily quiet time were exposed, we'd learn that their prayer-life is rather deficient.

Perhaps you know someone that seems to be a mighty prayer warrior. When you hear them pray, you feel like you are transported to the throne room of heaven. When I was growing up, we had a dear man in our community that seemed rather shy. His name was Virgil Lambert. He rarely spoke. God radically changed his life and he eventually became a deacon at our church. Even though he remained rather quiet and shy, he had great wisdom and was a bold witness for Christ. Often, he would be called upon to lead the congregation in prayer. That old man would weep and pray with great sincerity. Many times the peak moment of a church service was his prayer. He has since gone to glory. I still miss him. We need more men like him.

Yet when it comes to the subject of prayer, there is an expert we can learn from today. His Name is Jesus. His prayers inspired His disciples so much that they asked Him to teach them how to pray.

The disciples never asked Jesus to teach them to heal. They didn't request a seminar on how to cast out demons. Neither did they request a teaching session on preaching. Instead, they asked Him to teach about prayer.

Why did they request Jesus to teach them about prayer? First, they were a little jealous that John the Baptist taught his disciples and Jesus hadn't taught them yet. Secondly, Jesus had modeled prayer to them. They knew He spent time talking with His Father. The best teacher is the one who first of all models the subject to his students. That was certainly the case for our Lord.

Fortunately, we are blessed with a copy of the Scriptures. In the pages of the four Gospels, we learn about Jesus and prayer. We are taught about His example. He modeled prayer in a very practical way. Also, we learn from the lessons He taught. He taught His followers to pray.

Lord willing, in the coming weeks, I hope to write about the prayer-life of Jesus. Additionally, I hope we'll learn some things from the lessons He taught.

Most of all, I hope all of us will learn to pray like Jesus did.