Prayer is an important part of the life of any believer, although sadly, there are many believers who rarely pray. Our prayer is how we communicate with God, both speaking to Him, as well as listening for His reply. All great men of God in the Bible and in church history were men of prayer; but none of them exemplify a life of prayer to the degree that Jesus did.
We must remember that Jesus came to accomplish multiple, interlocking purposes. Yes, He died on the cross as our Lord and Savior, giving us a means of redemption; but that’s not all He did. Before going to the cross, He perfectly exemplified the life of a believer, so that we could learn from His example, seeing how a true believer lived and did things. Although He was fully God, He came to earth as a man, doing things as you and I would have to do them.
Jesus & God Are One
The whole idea of Jesus praying raises a huge question about His identity and how that relates to God the Father. Jesus Himself told us “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). Yet, even with that relationship, Jesus prayed to the Father. That can be easy to misunderstand.
The Trinity is a great mystery to us; knowing that God is in three separate parts, each of which has its own personality and function; yet they are all one. Different preachers have grappled with this issue at different times, trying to give us a way to understand it. Most of these are mere analogies, all of which fall short of truly describing the Trinity; probably because they make it too complicated.
We humans are also created as a trinity. God created a spirit, then gave it a soul and a body. The three together make up the man. While the three are inseparable, there are times when each act independently of the others. We cannot remove our spirit and soul from our body, except in death; but God is not limited in this manner. He is Spirit and so is not limited to the laws of this material world. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are one, but are each capable of acting in their own capacity, separate from one another.
When God the Father sent His Son to earth, to be born of a virgin, the Son left behind His divinity, so that He could walk this earth as a mortal man. This did not make Him any less God; but it did limit Him to operating in the same way that we are limited. This was necessary, so that He could serve as our example of the perfect Christian life.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. – Philippians 2:5-7
We can see the oneness of the Father and the Son by looking at two passages. To start, we look at the creation account, as told to us in Genesis, chapters one and two. There we see God the Father, depicted in the Hebew name “Elohim” speaking the universe into existence. In almost the entire account, God speaks of Himself in the singular; but in verse 26 He says, “Let us make man in Our image” referring to Himself in the plural. In other words, He included the Son and the Holy Spirit in His statement.
Jumping ahead to the New Testament, we find a brief mention of the creation in the preamble to John’s Gospel. John starts His Gospel, talking about the “Word” which came to dwell amongst us. Within this passage, he declares:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. – John 1:1-4
In these opening verses, John tells us that God and the Word were one (verse 1); that the Word was with God from the beginning (verse 2); everything was made by Him, speaking of the creation account (verse 3) and that the light or life of men came from Him (verse 4). Later, we find that this personage, who was with God and who created everything, was born and dwelt amongst us.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. – John 1:14
Putting this simply, these verses make it clear that Jesus and God are one. However, the part of God that was Jesus separated Himself from God the Father and inhabited a human body, so that He might walk amongst us. He was still God, but He was here apart from the Father.
Jesus Manifesting God’s Power
Nevertheless, Jesus maintained constant communication with His Father, much like our body, soul and spirit maintain communication, even while being separate parts of our being. Jesus prayed, as part of His ongoing communication with that other part of Himself, which we know as the Father or as Jehovah God. This was necessary, as Jesus only did what the Father wanted Him to do.
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but only what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” – John 5:19
This verse shows us something else, which is often overlooked. That is, as believers, we can only do that which we see the Father doing. By coming as a mortal man, leaving behind His divine power, Jesus could only do the miracles that He saw the Father doing. He did not tell God what to do, but rather entered into what God was doing, becoming the physical point of contact here on earth for the Father’s work and His power.
Likewise, we too need to see what the Father is doing, through our prayer, so that we can follow in the example of Jesus and become the physical point of contact for what God is doing here on earth. In doing that, God is able to manifest His power through us, touching people, healing those who need it and changing hearts. It’s not that we tell God what to do in prayer; but rather we speak into existence what God is already doing.
As further proof of this, we need look no further than Jesus’ ministry. There were a number of different blind men that Jesus healed in the Gospels. Yet there were a wide variety of different methodologies for these healings. In Mark 8:22-26 Jesus gave sight to a blind man by spitting on his eyes. Then in Matthew 12:22-23 He restored the sight and speech of a man who was demon possessed. Spitting in that man’s eyes wouldn’t have done any good, as the demon had to be dealt with. In another case entirely, recorded in John 9:1-41, He made a salve out of mud and put it on a man’s eyes, telling him to wash it off in the Pool of Siloam. Each of these cases was different, but the result was the same; they received their sight.
How did Jesus know which method to use in each case? He received that information from the Father, either beforehand or in the moment. In either case, He became part of what the Father was doing, healing each of those men.
Jesus Maintained Himself in Constant Prayer
As we look through the Gospels, we see Jesus drawing away from His disciples, over and over again, to take time for prayer. While I’m sure that the times recorded in the Gospels don’t account for all His praying, they give the impression that He often went aside to pray, talking to His Father. He maintained that close connection to His Father, so that He could make sure that He knew what the Father was doing. Not all of these times of prayer were the same, as His ministry was varied. Each prayer mentioned in the Gospels was for a particular purpose.
His ministry even started with Him taking a time in prayer. After John baptized Him, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness, where he spent 40 days in prayer and fasting. At the end of this, Satan came to tempt Him (Matthew 4:1-11).
There were times when Jesus specifically prayed for direction and guidance, such as the time when He arose to pray very early in the morning to pray, in Mark 1:35. These times of prayer were alone, probably so that He could hear clearly from His Father, without the disciples interrupting. We know nothing of those times of prayer, other than that they existed, as He went away privately and those prayers are not recorded in the Bible.
These prayer times of Jesus were not always convenient. After feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent His disciples ahead, while he went up on the mountain to pray. We don’t know why He chose that moment to pray; perhaps He needed a refreshing in His Father’s presence, after ministering to the people. But I can assure you, this was not by accident. Nevertheless, this provided the opportunity for Him to walk on the water, proving His power over nature to His disciples.
Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. – Matthew 14:22-25
He also prayed specifically for His disciples in John 17:11 and later in the chapter in verses 20-21, knowing that they needed the help of the Holy Spirit.
Some of His prayer was that of praise and thanksgiving to God; something that should be an important part of anyone’s prayer life. The Lord’s Prayer, the example that Jesus gave us for our own prayer, starts and ends with the prayer of praise. One of the more insightful prayers of praise that He prayed was recorded in Luke.
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.” – Luke 10:21
What makes this so insightful is that He is praising God for doing something that could be seen as counter-intuitive. Rather than showing the truth to those considered “wise,” God has chosen to reveal them to those considered to be “babes.” Jesus saw the wisdom in that and praised His Father for it. A couple of verses later, He says to His disciples:
Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.” – Luke 10:23-24
But probably the most common reason Jesus prayed was in preparation for ministry; whether that meant healing someone, casting out a demon, or ministering the Word of God. It was as he went aside to receive His marching orders from His Father, so that He would know what to do in the upcoming situation.
Jesus also used prayer as a way of connecting with His father, when he was going through times of anguish, such as when He was on the cross. One of the things He said on the cross was a cry out to God, saying, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me” (Mathew 27:46). The scriptures don’t record it, but I am sure that God answered Him.
What Can We Learn From Jesus’ Prayer Life?
Seeing that Jesus was the expert in prayer, it only makes sense that there are things in His prayer life, which are applicable to our own. Following His example is therefore the best possible way of improving our own prayer life.
He Prayed Frequently
We really don’t know just how often Jesus prayed; but we do know that He prayed frequently. When His disciples couldn’t cast out a demon from a young boy, Jesus did. Afterwards, when His disciples asked why they couldn’t cast it out, He responded, saying, “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). Even so, we don’t see Him going off to pray and fast, before casting that demon out. Rather, He had already done so.
He apparently made it a habit to pray and fast, keeping Himself In a position where He was ready to minister. We need that too, as we never know what sort of situations we might find ourselves in or what sort of ministry we may need to be ready to offer to those around us. We are His ambassadors here on the Earth and must do what He would do, if He were here.
He Prayed in Private
Although there are times when Jesus prayed in public, those were when He was praying for His disciples or others who needed prayer. His serious prayer, connecting with God, to commune and communicate with Him, was always done in private. Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, before His crucifixion, Jesus pulled aside from His disciples to pray (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; and Luke 22:39-46).
Private prayer serves several very practical purposes. First, it helps to eliminate distractions from others. If there are others in the same place, it is too easy to get into a conversation with them and not with God. Secondly it eliminates any possibility of embarrassment, from saying something to God that we don’t want others to hear. Finally, it allows us to hear God more clearly, again by removing distractions.
He Didn’t Rush
There are several times recorded in the Gospels where Jesus prayed through the whole night. He didn’t settle for a quick 15 minutes, before rushing out the door to work. Rather, He made sure that he had enough time to talk to God and hear from Him as well.
Jesus wasn’t the only one in the Bible to do this, it was common practice for the prophets. Most of them were people of prayer and they would set aside large blocks of time to pray. Through this, they heard the things which they wrote in the books of prophecy.
Today, we have a challenge finding time to pray at all, in our busy lives. But if we want God to move in the way that He moved in Jesus’ ministry, we will have to change our priorities, making time for what we would consider to be long periods of prayer.
He Prayed Honestly and in Humility
Honesty is an essential part of prayer. Going before God, like the Pharisee, in the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14). He went before God bragging about how great he was, rather than with a humble heart. In contrast to that, the Tax Collector beat his breast, asking for mercy from God. Jesus said of the two of them:
I tell you, this man (the tax collector) went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke 18:14
Jesus was humble too, in his prayers. He didn’t go before His Father, bragging about who He was or demanding that the Father do something for Him. We already saw this, in the verse where He said that the “Son can do nothing of Himself” (John 5:19). He prayed to find out the Father’s plan and to be close enough to the Father, so that He could access God’s power.
He Prayed in Submission
This may seem like a repetition of the previous, but it is distinctly different. When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed, asking His Father to take the cup from Him (Matthew 26:39). But He didn’t stop there, he added, “nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” This shows the depth of His submission to His heavenly Father.
There are so many believers today who pray as if they can command God to do what they want. This style of prayer came out of the word of faith movement. But it’s not correct. We have not authority to command God. He is God, not us. We are given access to His power and authority, through Jesus Christ; but that’s not the same as commanding God. Like Jesus, we need to do what the Father is doing.
He Made Praise an Integral Part of His Prayer
I already mentioned this, but it is worth repeating. Praise is and must be an integral part of our prayer. Psalm 100:5 tells us to come into God’s presence through thanksgiving and praise. That’s why Jesus included praise as the first part of the Lord’s Prayer. We need praise to get into His presence, where we can say whatever else we need to say.
Prayer isn’t just about asking God for things, although that is a part of prayer. Yet, when we look at the Lord’s Prayer as an outline for our own prayers, we find that the prayer of supplication is the shortest part of the prayer. If that’s the example Jesus gave us, then it would behoove us to follow it.