Jesus, the Son of God, came to this world so that we may learn to be like Him. Being like Jesus is how we become His true disciples. There are so many aspects of His life that we can imitate – praying is one of them.
From the numerous recorded instances of Jesus praying in the Gospels, I categorised them into the following reasons that Jesus prayed.
- Prayer for Intimacy with God
- Mark 1:35: And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.
- Luke 5:16: But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
- Jesus often and habitually spent time alone with God the Father. He did this purposefully, despite His hectic schedule and many people looking Him. I think it is a natural thing for Jesus to do, because of His intimate relationship with the Father.
- The closer we are to God, the more we will want to spend time with God in prayer. This is the natural thing for us to do.
- Are you willing to take time for intimacy with God? Do you have a quiet time every day for prayer?
- Prayer for Thanksgiving
- John 6:11: Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated.
- It would be easy to overlook this simple act of Jesus giving thanks for the food that they were about to partake. In contrast to privacy of the previous case, this was prayer done in the presence of many people. By His action, Jesus was also teaching the people to be thankful for all things that God had provided.
- May we not neglect praying to give thanks, not only for food, but for all things that God has blessed us with.
- When was the last time you thanked God for something “small”?
- Prayer for Intercession
- Luke 22:32: but I have prayed for you (Peter) that your faith may not fail.
- John 17:1-26: (v.20) I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word
- Intercessory prayers are the longest recorded prayers by Jesus. John 17, also known as the High Priestly prayer, has 26 verses. I am sure that Jesus prayed for others more than for himself.
- It is a privilege that we, powerless as we are, can pray for the needs of others. In doing so, we are not only following Jesus’s example, we are also blessing the lives of others through God.
- Who are you currently praying for?
- Prayer for Guidance
- Luke 6:12-13: In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles
- Jesus prayed before major events or decisions. He prayed in Gethsemane before going to the cross. He also prayed before announcing his choice of the 12 disciples.
- If Jesus had to pray for guidance, what about us? It would be presumptuous of us to think that we can make decisions without first committing them to God in prayer.
- Prayer for Strength
- Luke 22:41-42: And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.
- It would seem inappropriate for Jesus to ask the Father to excuse him from going to the cross. But the key is in the latter statement, that “not my will, but yours, be done”.
- I think that sums up what Jesus’s prayers were about. He was praying so that He can accomplish the task the God the Father has given to him. He was praying so that He can obey God and submit to God’s will.
Jesus prayed for intimacy with God. He prayed to give thanks. Jesus prayed for others. He prayed for guidance. And Jesus prayed so that the can fulfil His mission.
Jesus has set us an example. May this motivate us to pray as Jesus prayed.