One of the most mysterious and intriguing aspects of Jesus is the way He prayed. We only have snippets of His prayers written in the gospels.
It’s noted that He sometimes prayed all night long. In the garden of Gethsemane, the Bible states that He sweated blood, so great was His conversation with His Father.
His last authored prayer is the infamous ‘Not my will, but Yours’ be done.” These words of total submission to what abuse lay ahead are in sharp contrast to our human tendencies to avoid confrontation and death.
It’s not recorded that Jesus ever prayed in public. He taught His followers not to use their spirituality to call attention to themselves as the priests of that time were known to do.
He prayed in private. He specifically withdrew to a solitary place to avoid being distracted by others. We can follow His example by designating a quiet space for ourselves and schedule it at a time that we are less apt to be bothered by family, friends, and other distractions. Maintaining a focus on God is the main idea, so that we can hear Him speak to us in return.
The Bible teaches us that we should be in an ‘attitude’ of prayer at all times. One of the coolest things about prayer is that we can pray while we are at work, in the home, or at our jobs. We can even pray while we are driving down the road. An attitude of prayer means that we are very much aware of the presence of God and that He is always listening.
“A fervent effective prayer avails much” (James 5:16) means that the most urgent smallest sentences are received with the same power as a prayer that is lengthy. “I believe” has the power to change your life.
Jesus Praying - How did He pray?
When His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, He told them what is called “The Lord’s Prayer.” The prayer taught them to honor God, seek His perfect will for their lives, to petition for their needs, expect His supply and to offer themselves in service.
A neat way to remember to include these things in your prayer is to think of the word P.R.A.Y., which stands for Praise, Rejoice, Ask, and Yield. This is a great foundation point to build your own prayers.
Jesus as Praying: Taking time alone with God
And early in the morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there. ( Mark 1:35)
And immediately He made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the multitude away. And after bidding them farewell, he departed to the mountain to pray. ( Mark 6:45-46)
And they came to a place called Gethsemane; and He said to His disciples, "Sit here until I have prayed." And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved to the point of death; remain here and keep watch." And He went a little beyond them, and fell to the ground, and began praying. ( Mark 14:32-34)
And when day came, He departed to a lonely place; and the multitudes were searching for Him, and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from going away from them. ( Luke 4:42)
But He Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray. ( Luke 5:16)
And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. ( Luke 6:12)
