Jesus’ Prayer Life
Quite often we hear "What would Jesus do?" Yet the better question is, "What did Jesus do?"
I. Jesus prayed often and consistently, He prayed early in the morning, late at night, all through the night.
This insight is gleaned from a passage cited, Luke 5:16: "Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." The word "often" is not hidden, but makes it obvious that Jesus prayed regularly. Throughout the Gospels whenever we read of Jesus and prayer, it comes up regularly and naturally.
Jesus prayed in every aspect of life. Can we say the same about prayer in our life?
A. The prayers of Jesus were heartfelt.
Jesus did not pray in a cold, distant manner, but in heartfelt supplication, demonstrating empathy and genuine love for God for Himself, His immediate disciples, as well as for all believers.
B. Jesus prayed based on His knowledge of God and His truths.
The prayers of Jesus were based on God's revealed truths and, as such, were in line with a solid biblical worldview. In John 4:24 Jesus said, "God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." He also said, "the truth will set you free" (John 8:32), underscoring the importance of truth in the life of Jesus and, in turn, our lives.
Proper prayer requires us to have a truthful understanding of God and what He has revealed to us through His Word.
C. He prayed before critical events in His life.
Jesus prayed for those who were responsible for his death on the cross. . .
(KJV Luke 23:34)
34. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
At critical moments in your life, what do you do?
Can we forgive those who harm us?
D. He prayed at the table of the Last supper for us
Jesus gave his very best for us, his very life. He gave it to overcome the power of sin. He gave it to give us victory in life.
By prayer we receive of God’s life and are made partakers of Christ’s character
E. He prayed that believers might be sanctified John 17:17
17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth
We should pray for a complete new transformation, pray to become the image of Christ. The image we created to become
F. He prayed for our protection from the evil on, while we are in this world
John 17:15
15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one
God’s gift to us is life; our gift to God is what we do with it. To every human being the Great Creator entrusts an eternal soul—a precious possession! This gift from heaven can not be compared with the value of an earthly treasure. It is God’s crowning creation fashioned in His likeness.
It is always conscious; it never sleeps. Satan targets the souls of all humanity, desiring to steal them away from God. Remember what Jesus said to Simon Peter? “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31 NIV). Read these words of Jesus, put your name in the place of Simon. There you have it. Jesus is praying for you that your soul may be saved from Satan’s attacks. The soul’s journey may sometimes lead down dangerous paths. Safety for the soul is found in the hand of God.
We need to pray continually for spiritual victory
G. Jesus Prayed during a storm.
The disciples had been on the sea for about nine hours. John tells us they rowed four miles (John 6:19).
Mark tells us that during the storm Jesus “saw his followers struggling” (Mark 6:48). Through the night he saw them.
What does he do while we are in the storm? You’ll love this. He prays for us. Jesus wasn’t in the boat because he had gone to the hills to pray (see Mark 6:46). Jesus prayed. That is remarkable. It is even more remarkable that Jesus didn’t stop praying when his disciples were struggling. When he heard their cries, he remained in prayer.
While Jesus is praying and we are in the storm, what are we to do? Simple. We do what the disciples did. We row. The disciples rowed most of the night. Mark says they “struggled hard” to row the boat (Mark 6:48). The word struggle is elsewhere translated as “tormented.” Wasn’t easy. Wasn’t glamorous.
Much of life is spent rowing. Getting out of bed. Fixing lunches. Turning in assignments. Changing diapers. Paying bills. Routine. Regular. More struggle than strut. More wrestling than resting.
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
C. Prayer is essential to following God it Fulfills our Emotional Needs
Do we need God through prayer? Yes! We were made to function best, emotionally, in a prayerful relationship with God. As C.S. Lewis put it, "God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other."
D. Prayer Can Succeed Where Other Means Have Failed
Have all your options been exhausted? Prayer can succeed where other means have failed. Prayer should not be a last resort, but our first response. But there are times when sincere prayer must be offered in order to accomplish something.
E. Prayer Allows us to Participate in God's Works
Does God need our help? No. He is all powerful and in control of everything in His creation. Why do we need to pray? Because prayer is the means God has ordained for some things to happen. Prayer, for instance, helps others know the love of Jesus. Prayer can clear human obstacles out of the way in order for God to work. It is not that God can't work without our prayers, but that He has established prayer as part of His plan for accomplishing His will in this world
III. We have seen how prayer was a very important in Jesus Life. It should be just as important in yours as well.
The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is not the only thing; but it is the chief thing. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray. ~ S.D. Gordon
Let’s pray to become a believing people, dedicated people, an achieving people, and people in unity together with Christ.
