“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 frequently departed to deserted places to pray before daybreak, and sometimes all night with the Father (Luke 6:12). Pray in alignment with the Word of God. Scripture exposes the secret motives of your heart, revealing the “real you”. “The Word of God ... is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12-13). Pray with humility. If, the Son of God "fell on His face" to pray (Matthew 26:39), 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 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, “If this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42), He gave saints 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” (Philippians 4:6). 

 If you unconditionally submit to God’s will because you trust Him, you’ll ask for everything in prayer with thanksgiving. But 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. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).