Our theme scriptures conveys the prayer experience of our Lord Jesus in His earthly days. One critical ingredient in His prayer life was reverence. The scripture shows us this was key to His effectiveness in prayer, "He was heard because of His reverent submission". Christ is our perfect example for effective praying. Effective prayer is that prayer that God hears and honors and yields results as He desires. Reverence is spiritual respect and honor for God. It is the fear for God. In reverence your will is swallowed up in His will. You submit to His will and purpose. Our Lord demonstrated this in Gethsemane saying, "Not my will but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Besides reverence, another aspect in Jesus' prayer life is boldness. The Lord Jesus successfully demonstrated coexistence of boldness and reverence in His prayer life. John 17:1 records, "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee". You can sense the boldness with which He spoke to the Father. The fleshly man would think He was rude to pray like that, but no He wasn't. He demonstrated the boldness of righteousness.

Notice this boldness when He prayed at the grave of Lazarus "Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 11:41-42). He talked to the Father with absolute boldness and confidence. That is what the gift of righteousness has done for us.

Hebrews 4:16 enjoins us, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need". Be reverential and bold always and see remarkable results in your prayer life.