Pray
Mt 5:44 "But I say to you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you,"
Mt 6:5-8 "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward.
"But you, when you pray, enter into your room. And shutting your door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly. But when you pray, do not babble vain words, as the nations. For they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard.
"Therefore do not be like them, for your Father knows what things you have need of, before you ask Him."
Mt 9:38 "Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He will send out laborers into His harvest."
Mt 23:14 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and pray at length as a pretense. Therefore you shall receive the greater condemnation."
Mt 26:41 "Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Mt 26:53 "Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?"
Mark 13:33 "Take heed, watch and pray, for you do not know when the time is."
Mark 14:32 "And they came to a place named Gethsemane. And He said to His disciples, Sit here while I pray."
Luke 6:28 "Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who despitefully use you."
Luke 10:2 "Then He said to them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest that He may send forth laborers into His harvest."
Luke 11:1-4 And it happened as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught His disciples."
And He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father, who is in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, as in Heaven, so also on the earth. Give us day by day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Luke 18:1-8 And He also spoke a parable to them to teach it is always right to pray, and not to faint, saying, "A certain judge was in a certain city, not fearing God, nor respecting man. And a widow was in that city. And she came to Him, saying, 'Avenge me of my adversary.' And he would not do so for a time.
But afterward he said within himself, Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, that she not wear me down in the end."
And the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge says. And shall not God avenge His own elect who cry day and night to Him, though He has been long-suffering over them?
I say to you that He will avenge them speedily. Yet when the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?"
Luke 22:40 "And when He was at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you do not enter into temptation."
Luke 22:46 And He said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray lest you enter into temptation."
Note: Our Lord prayed at the drop of a sandal. He's depicted as taking hours at night with his Father, as always going off away from the crowd, no matter how tired he was, to pray to the Father, to give the conversation the utmost importance and making solitude a prime concern, that He might focus on his conversation, that God was the only one, no earthly distractions.
And the subject matter becomes everything: the needs of the day, the joy of the relationship, praise of the Father. "In all things", he knelt to pray and provided our example.
We complain about the busyness of modern life. He towed a crowd around behind him. He became the target of every spear in the country. Moving constantly so the religious leaders wouldn't kill him before his appointed hour. Dealing with his disciples bickering, jostling for the spot next to the throne, one flighty, several temperamental, one a traitor. We don't even come close.
Find the time and build the relationship. Nothing mattered more to our Lord. Rank it accordingly.
