Jesus’ Prayer Life

We learned that at the right time, God comes. In the right way, he appears. So don’t bail out. Don’t give up! Don’t lay down the oars! He is too wise to forget you, too loving to hurt you. When you can’t see him, trust him. He is praying a prayer that he himself will answer.

H. He prayed because he would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.

In the garden he invites Peter, James, and John to come. He tells them his soul is “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” and begins to pray.

His final prayer was about you. His final pain was for you. His final passion was you.

For it was in the garden that he made his decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.

He saw you in your own garden of gnarled trees and sleeping friends.

He saw you staring into the pit of your own failures and the mouth of your own grave.

He saw you in your Garden of Gethsemane—and he didn’t want you to be alone.

He wanted you to know that he has been there, too.

I. Jesus prayed on the last night of his life, a prayer of unity for all Christians:

I pray for these followers, but I am also praying for all those who will believe in me because of their teaching. Father, I pray that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me. (John 17:20)

How precious are these words. Jesus, knowing the end is near, prays one final time for his followers. Striking, isn’t it, that he prayed not for their success, their safety, or their happiness. He prayed for their unity. He prayed that they would love each other.

As he prayed for them, he also prayed for “those who will believe because of their teaching.” That means us! In his last prayer Jesus prayed that you and I be one

Prayer Strengthens the Bonds Between Believers

Prayer not only strengthens our relationship with God, but when we pray with other believers, prayer also strengthens the bonds between fellow Christians

II. In order to maintain our relationship with the Father as born again believers, consistent, fervent prayer is essential.

A. It is the one piece of the armor that God provides us (Ephesians 6:11-18) that energizes each of the other pieces

Prayer gives us Power over Evil

Can physical strength help us overcome obstacles and challenges in the spiritual realm? No, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). But in prayer even the physically weak can become strong in the spiritual realm. As such, we can call upon God to grant us power over evil

B. Prayer Grants us the Privilege of Experiencing God

Through prayer we obtain an experiential basis for our faith. We do not ignore the intellect or reasons for faith, but prayer makes our experience of God real on an emotional level