“He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed” (Matthew 26:39)

Learn from Christ how to pray. Pray with God alone. He left His three best friends to meet with God. This was only natural for the One who sometimes prayed all night with the Father (Luke 6:12). Pray in alignment with the Word of God. “This is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14). Pray with humility. If, the Son of God "fell on His face" to pray, shouldn’t you humble yourself, when you pray?

Pray with trusting love. You have no right to approach God as His flesh creation, but as His Holy Spirit creation, you can pray, “Abba, Father”. Pray until you know God’s will.  Christ told us to pray day and night (Luke 18:1), until we’ve received an answer (Luke 11:8). Pray in faith. Always approach God with the faith that He will answer your prayer one way or another, even if the answer is “no” or “wait” (James 1:6). Pray with thanksgiving. This is perhaps the most important lesson of all. When Christ prayed, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42), He confirmed the lesson of Philippians 4:6: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God”. Thank God for His answer, whatever it is, because you trust He knows what’s best for all concerned.

If you don’t ask with thanksgiving, it’s probably because you’re afraid He’ll ask you to do something you don’t want to do, or endure something you don’t want to endure. The only safe place for the saint is submitted unconditionally to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. “Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).