HOW DID JESUS PRAY?

Phone call, voicemail, text, email, Marco Polo, FaceTime, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, fill in the blank with another messaging platform… It’s crazy that we can reach someone on the other side of the world in an instant. Honestly, if you knew my first name and my occupation, you’d be able to Google my info, find and send me an email, and I could respond within seconds. In the scope of history, this is a super recent advancement in technology. But to God, the ability to communicate to His people and for us to communicate with Him has always been instantaneous. Unfortunately, just like we can see a text and ignore it, or let a call go to voicemail and listen later, or block a spam message on Facebook and never see it again, we often put communicating with God on the bottom of our priorities list. Even though we can go to Him at any time, we avoid prayer. But there is an example of a better way to communicate.

Jesus was the perfect example of how to pray. Jesus’ perfection does a lot for us. It gives us an assurance He is God, redemption through His perfect sacrifice, and THE example of how we are to serve God. We can’t be perfect this side of heaven or do perfect works to gain salvation (that’s free by God’s grace!), but we are to deepen our relationship with God by following in the footsteps of Jesus’ attitude and holiness. So we can look to His prayer habits as a good way for us to pray.

So, how did He pray? Jesus prayed publicly in large groups (John 11:41-42), with His closest friends in a small group (Luke 9:28-29), and privately (Luke 9:18-20). He prayed when He was busy at the peak of His ministry (Luke 5:15-16). Jesus prayed before important events like the choosing of His disciples (Luke 6:12-16) and after important events like the feeding of the 5000 (Mark 6:46). Jesus prayed when He was sorrowful and troubled (Matthew 26:36-46) and when He rejoiced (Luke 10:21). Jesus sometimes prayed all night (Luke 6:12-16) and sometimes He prayed early in the morning (Mark 1:35-39). Sometimes His prayers were short (Luke 23:34) and sometimes they were long (John 17). He also would pray in desolate places (Luke 5:15-16).

That list is not extensive, just a start at observing how Jesus prayed. Take a look back over that list. Are there one or two that especially stand out to you? The two that stood out to me the most were that Jesus prayed with His friends and that He prayed after important events. I often tell my friends I’m praying for them privately, but I rarely pray with them. I also am quick to pray in trials but slow to remember God when trials pass. In this life, I will never be able to pray perfectly like Jesus, but I can be better. It would be well worth our time to pick even one thing from the list and start applying it to our lives. So if you’re a friend of mine, prepare yourself. Hopefully I’ll follow the leading of the Holy Spirit’s conviction and next time I see you I’ll pray with you, not just for you!

RESOURCE: An Oldie- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObwhPWeghzE

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