Written by Dave Leonard
Jesus prayed! Let us remember that Jesus’ prayers were not recorded simply as examples for us. It is the fact that He prayed that makes the prayers available to us. The only time that Scriptures shows Him praying as an example is when His disciple made request: “Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples’” (Luke 11:1-2; Matthew 6:9-13). This is followed by what many term as “the Lord’s prayer.” In reality, it was a teaching moment and should be understood and used in this manner.
In several different contexts, Christians are taught to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to pray “everywhere” (1 Timothy 2:8), and to pray “in everything” (Philippians 4:6). If we are going to be the prayerful people that we should be, it would benefit us to learn as much about prayer as possible. Who better to learn from than the only begotten Son of God?
From Jesus’ many prayers, we learn of the trust He had in His Father. Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). Prayer without trust will never be effective.
In Jesus’ prayers we see the reverence that He taught to His disciples. He told them to address their Father in this manner: “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name” (Luke 11:2; Matthew 6:9). When Jesus prayed, He repeatedly called upon His “Father” (John 17:1-26) and described Him as “righteous Father” (John 17:25). There is no place in prayer for the denigration of the name of our Father.
Jesus displayed persistence in His prayers. When He cried out to His Father from Gethsemane, He repeated the plea, and we see from the text that He voiced it a third time (Matthew 26:39, 42, 44). He was dealing with a great burden and persistently petitioned His Father.
While Jesus did pray with others, there were times when He sought solitude. “So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed” (Luke 5:16; cf. Matthew 14:23). There are times when we need to “be still” with God, and the best way to do this is to be alone in our prayers.
There are many more lessons to be gleaned from studying Jesus’ prayers. Keep reading the prayers of Jesus, not simply as examples, but learning the relationship that we should have with our Father!