Jesus’ Prayer Life

By Mac - 11 June 2001

A little while ago, Mike Pope preached to us about prayer. He talked about his personal observation of how prayer works. When he and other brothers were constantly praying in the Cascade Sector, their ministry was expanding rapidly. He wants the Cumberland Sector to become “Praying Warriors”. Personally, I have been remiss in my own prayer life. It has NOT been what it should have been. I did begin to study the Bible a lot more every day, but I didn’t dramatically increase my prayer time. This study I want to share with you is a look at Jesus’ prayer life. I don’t want to emulate Mike Pope, Ben Barnett, or even Steve Sapp, although they are awesome praying warriors. What I would LIKE to be able to come closer to in my ability to properly pray, is the way Jesus prayed..

I will be looking at scriptures throughout the gospels, as well as several other New Testament books that reference the awesome prayer life of Jesus.

Let’s start in Matthew 6, verse 9, and go through verse 13, where we find Jesus instructing his disciples HOW to pray. These are Jesus’ own words:

"This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. '”

First of all, Jesus is not telling his disciples to memorize these exact words, rather he is instructing on how prayers should be offered to God, ("This, then, is how you should pray:”) and he is telling us to use this as a template for our prayers. Let’s break this prayer down into digestible pieces. Verse 1: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed by your name..”. In these two phrases Jesus is telling us to revere, honor (hallow), and praise God for the loving being that created us. The first part of verse 2 “your kingdom come “ is a reference to God’s spiritual reign, not Israel overthrowing Rome, like many religious leaders believed during his time. The term “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven“ is not us saying “no matter what you do”, but rather, it is us praying that His purpose will be accomplished in this world, as well as the next. “Give us today our daily bread” is our prayer of acknowledgement to God that it is HE who provides for us…we do NOT provide for ourselves. Just like the parable Jesus told about the wicked servant who didn’t forgive the debt of one that owed him only 100 denarii (Matthew 18:24-35), with the payer to “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”, Jesus is telling us to pray that God will treat us like we treat others. We shouldn’t hold any grudge against anyone else, lest we face the same type of treatment from God. We all know that God does not ‘tempt’; Satan does that. BUT, God gives us a heart with which we could CHOOSE to be lead by temptation. The last verse of this prayer is for us to ask God to assist us in recognizing temptation, so that we can take the necessary steps to avoid IT, (and “the evil one. “).

Well, now that we see how Jesus wants US to pray, let’s look at how Jesus himself prayed.

In preparing this study, I could only find 23 times that Jesus prayed. References to some of these 23 prayer times are found more than once using the four Gospels. Of these 23 times that Jesus was recorded as praying, four (4) times were him offering thanks for food or wine, seven (7) were ‘quickies’ before another event, two (2) times on the cross, and the other 10 were actual ‘quiet times’. And, unfortunately, we really get to read his actual prayers only twice, once at the garden of Gethsemane, and his prayer for all people during the Last Supper (John 17). I also found seven (7) other references to Jesus teaching about prayer (six, in addition to the one I included from Matthew 6 above). I have attached at the end of this study, a list of all the scriptures, as well as the scriptures themselves, that I could find that related to Jesus’ prayer life.

I could deduce, however, at least three things about Jesus’ prayers. First, he did them in solitary places. This was recorded at least nine (9) times: Matthew 14:9, Matthew 14:23, Matthew 26:36-44, Mark 1:35, Mark 6:46, Luke 15:16, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:18 and Luke 9:28-29). He did his praying on mountainsides, gardens, and other remote locations, away from others. On occasion, he would pray with others around him. I can assume this from Luke 11:1, when his disciples asked him to teach THEM to pray. Although I am not positive they actually ever heard any of Jesus’ prayers, this scripture tends to make me believe that they probably overhead him, and wanted to emulate his prayer life.

The second thing I can deduce from his prayers was that he did it often. Doctor Luke wrote in chapter 5, verse 16: “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” And EVERY time that we see Jesus eating, he gives thanks in a prayer for the food, even after he was resurrected and appeared to Cleopas and the other disciple in the village of Emmaus. You can find that in the story as recorded in Luke 24, starting in verse 13, and going through 32.

And the third thing I can deduce from the scriptures, is that Jesus often spent a lot of time when he prayed. In chapter 14 of his gospel, Matthew recorded Jesus’ reaction to the beheading of John the Baptist. He withdrew to a solitary place (verse 13) to probably mourn and pray about John. When the crowds followed him, he took time out to heal and feed them. When everyone had eaten, he again went to a solitary location (verse 23), and it is there that he finally had enough solitude to pray for a long time. The scriptures read that he went there in the evening, and didn’t leave until the ‘fourth watch’, when he performed the miracle of walking on water out to the disciples’ boat. My research found that the ‘fourth watch’ is commonly between the hours of 3 and 6 AM, which means that Jesus probably prayed for many hours on that mountainside since his arrival there “in the evening.”, until at least 3 AM. When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed for at least ONE hour, because he chastised Peter for not being able to stay awake and “keep watch for (him) me for one hour”, in verse 40 of chapter 26. We also find Jesus spending all night praying in Luke 6:12. (The King James Version differs from the NIV in that it specifically states that he continually prayed all night: (And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God) (KJV)) Also, the Revised Standard Version, which is also a closer word-for-word translation (like the KJV), states something similar, emphasizing continuous prayer: (In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God) RSV

Although I could locate no scriptures in the Bible stating that Jesus actually prayed during the 40 days and nights in the desert, we can assume that he did during his miraculous fasting from food. It did state in Mark 1:13 that the angels attended him, so we can further assume that he was communing with God in some way, and was probably in prayer. And, based upon that assumption, with nothing else to do for 40 days, he spent a LOT of time in meditation and prayer.

Jesus’ prayer to God for his followers, and all believers, as recorded in Luke 17, is the longest prayer we can actually read. I don’t want to take the time to dissect this prayer for its many points, but I do want to point out that he prayed for others, not himself. No where did I find Jesus asking God for a new chariot, or a better donkey or camel on which to ride. He never asked for any worldly things. His mind was continually on his mission of seeking and saving the lost. When you have time, spend a few hours going through this prayer in Luke 17 and see what his major concerns were.

I mentioned above that we could only find two instances where we could read his actual words in prayer, but that is not entirely correct. In the various recordings by the Gospel writers of Jesus on the cross, we can get a glimpse of his anguish in prayer. There were two recordings, one in Mark 15:34 and Luke 23:46. In Mark, we find Jesus in real anguish: (And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") NIV His prayers were definitely heart wrenching at times. Luke’s version goes like this: (Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.“ ) (Vs 23:46-NIV) Also, in the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus still focused on his mission of seeking and saving the lost, showing compassion for all people. Read Chapter 23, verse 34: (Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."…..) AMAZING. In one instant he is concentrating fully on his followers, and the next he displays his anguish.

I recently asked Mr. Les Johnson where HE goes to pray. He said “Anyplace, anytime, all the time.” What he meant to say, he explained, was the he talks to God all the time. Well, not ALL the time, but he has been able to get to a point where he holds ‘regular’ conversations with his Spiritual Father, “anyplace, anytime…”. Although he does sometimes go to his ‘dungeon’ to be alone to pray, and, when he was a RUNNER, (and even now that he has become a ‘jogger’, like me) he would prefer to run ‘in tandem’, (in tandem with only ONE other, and that was Jesus), he does not necessarily seek solitary places…he CREATES them. Even with people around him, he prays to GOD, not to, or ‘for’ the others around him. Les also told me that this study that I had been working on for about a week, would probably take about 51 more!!!!! He was referring, of course, to all of the information that could possibly be gleaned from the prayer life of Jesus. He did, however, kind of pointed me in a direction (we ALL need direction…we don’t want to be “like a man running aimlessly” (1 Cor 9:26—NIV)) that could assist me my quest for understanding of Jesus’ way of prayer. He showed me, hand-written into his Bible (there weren’t many margins that didn’t have SOME scribble in it), a list of each of Jesus’ prayer times, and the event surrounding that prayer. He showed me what was happening either before Jesus prayed, or what was about to happen after he finished praying. In other words, Jesus had REASONS to pray. I wanted to take some time in this study to cover, like Brother Les did, each of Jesus’ prayer times, and try to deduce what he may have been praying for (events that either preceded his prayer, or was about to occur after his prayer). At the end of this study, I have done just that. In the section where I listed all 23 times he prayed, I have attempted to include a possible reason he may have been praying. (Only applies to the sections in bold lettering.) We won’t get into this at this time, but you can look at that ‘analysis’ when we get done with the rest of this study.

So, now that we have kind of looked at his prayers (we have heard his pleas and submission in his prayers at Gethsemane), what does this mean to us? How can we use Jesus’ prayer life as a template for ours?

Well, for one, we should seek solitude in most of our prayers. A quiet place, away from disturbances. Away from the phone, the TV, the kids, the spouse, the roommate, the computer, loud music. Away from everything. Most leaders within the church I have talked to about this, like to go for walks early in the morning in nearly deserted parks or wooded areas. Some of them have a special room within their home that they go to. Solitude is important, as it allows you to fully concentrate on God, instead of the millions of worldly distractions that bombard us all day long. In Steve Kinard’s DPI book, “Getting The Most From The Bible”, the author recommends for parents of children, to take turns caring for the kids while the other has dedicated, uninterrupted time to spend with God.

Gospel Scriptures referencing Jesus’ Prayer Life….

SCRIPTURE EVENT BEFORE/DURING/AFTER

Matthew

6:5-8 – Pray in private, not on the street corner

6:9-13 – Jesus teaching disciples how to pray

11:25-26 – Praise Calling together of his Disciples

14:19 – Thanking in advance for food (5000) Death of John the Baptist (before)

(also in: Mk 6:41, Lk 9:16, Jn 5:11)

14:23 – Mountainside by himself (Mk 6:46) Death of John the Baptist (before)

15:36 – Thanks for food (4000) Woman challenged Jesus about scraps

19: 13 -- Praying for little children Preaching to Pharisees about children

21:22 – Believe and receive (instructions from Jesus)

26:26-27 – Thanks for food/wine The Last Supper…teaching disciples

(also in: Mk 14:22-23, Lk 22:17-19)

26:36-44 -- Gethsemane Prior to his great suffering on the cross

(also in: Mk 14:32-39, Lk 22:41-45)

Mark

1:35 – Solitary place early in morning A long day before, healing crowds

6:41 – Thanking in advance for food (5000) Death of John the Baptist (before)

6:46 – Mountainside by himself Death of John the Baptist (before)

7:34 – healing deaf mute

8:6-7 – Thanks for food (4000) Woman challenged Jesus about scraps

9:29 – Removing evil spirit by prayer

11:24-25 -- instructions for asking with prayer

12:40 – instructions on lengthy, showy prayers

14:22-23 -- Thanks for food/wine The Last Supper…teaching disciples

14:32-39 – Gethsemane Prior to his great suffering on cross

15:34 – Eloi (on cross) (Lk 23:46) Tremendous suffering leading to this

Luke

3:21 – baptized, heaven opened Jesus baptized by John

5:16 – often, solitary places Calling of Disciples and healing crowds

6:12 – mountainside, all night Next day, preached beatitudes

9:16 – Thanking in advance for food (5000) Death of John the Baptist (before)

9:18 – praying in private Told disciples of his future sufferings

9:28-29 – mountain, transfiguration 8 days after praying alone, took friends

10:21 – praising God Full of joy with the Holy Spirit

11:1 – one day, certain place Taught disciples how to pray (after)

11:2-4 – teaching how to pray

11:9-13 – Ask and it will be given

18:1-8 – Jesus explains to pray always and

not give up-persistent widow

22:17-19 -- Thanks for food/wine

22:41-45 – Gethsemane Prior to his great suffering on cross

23:34 – forgive them (cross) Tremendous suffering leading to this

23:46 -- father (cross) Tremendous suffering leading to this

24:30 – thanks for food (after resurrection) Resurrection—walked to Emmaus

John

6:11 -- Thanking in advance for food (5000) Death of John the Baptist (before)

11:41-42 – Thanking God for Lazarus

12:28 – Praising God

17:1-26 – Jesus’ prayer for the people

LEGEND:

BOLD – 23 Prayer Times

BOLD UNDELINED – Another Gospel, same event

Normal – Instructions on Prayer from Jesus

Scriptures…….

Matthew

6:5-8 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

6:9-13 "This, then, is how you should pray: "`Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. '”

11:25-26 At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”

14:19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

14:23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,

15:36 Then he took the seven loaves and the fish, and when he had given thanks, he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and they in turn to the people.

19: 13 Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.

21:22 – “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

26:26-27 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you.”

26:36-44 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.”

Mark

1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

6:41 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all.

6:46 After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.

7:34 He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!").

8:6-7 He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them.

9:29 He replied, "This kind can come out only by prayer. "

11:24-25 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. "

12:40 They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."

14:22-23 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.

14:32-39 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," he said to them. "Stay here and keep watch." Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. "Abba, Father," he said, "everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will." Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Simon," he said to Peter, "are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." Once more he went away and prayed the same thing.

15:34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

Luke

3:21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened

5:16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

6:12 One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.

9:16 Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to set before the people.

9:18 Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

9:28-29 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

10:21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”

11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

11:2-4 He said to them, "When you pray, say: "`Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. '"

11:9-13 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

18:1-8 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, `Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, `Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

22:17-19 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

22:41-45 He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.

23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

24:30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.

John

6:11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

11:41-42 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

12:28 Father, glorify your name!" Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and will glorify it again."

17:1-26 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name--the name you gave me--so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. "I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."