Jesus' Example in Prayer

Prayer is an integral part of the Christian life that we learn from Jesus' example. When we pray, we speak to God, praise what God has already done in our lives, ask for blessings, pray for someone, ask for wisdom, and much more. 

Everyone has their own style of prayer. Some like to pray in the morning after waking up. Others prefer to pray in the garden, in their room, or praise God first before praying. Whatever our style of prayer is and however long we pray, it is all good. 

Jesus Himself loved to pray and did so regularly. No matter how busy His schedule was, He always made time to speak with His Father. Here are three examples from Jesus in prayer that we can apply:

Example 1: Lord, First Priority at the Start of the Day

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He got up and went out. He went to a quiet place and prayed there. – Mark 1:35

Waking up at four or five in the morning is not easy for everyone. Especially after we are tired from work the previous day. Jesus had a habit of getting up very early to pray outside the house, and look at what His daily activities were like:

That evening, after sunset, people brought to Jesus all who were sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door. He healed many who had various diseases and drove out many demons; He would not let the demons speak, because they knew who He was. – Mark 1:32-34

As a human being, Jesus knew what it felt like to be tired after working all day (Mark 1:29-39). After healing Peter's mother-in-law, He ministered to the sick. Yet Jesus set an example for us: He still got up early and prayed, and only then did His other activities.

Jesus' top priority was His Father. Everyone receives the same amount of time: one day, 24 hours. So, learn to manage your time wisely and understand priorities. Follow Jesus' example, namely beginning the day with prayer. Besides making our schedule more orderly, our hearts and minds are also prepared to face the busyness of the whole day. If we are sleepy, we can shower, wash our face, or do some light exercise first, then pray.

Example 2: Put God's Will First

When He arrived at that place He said to them, “Pray that you may not fall into temptation.” Then He withdrew from them about a stone's throw away, knelt down and prayed, saying: “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and gave Him strength. In great anguish He prayed more earnestly. His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.

– Luke 22:40-44

Praying earnestly was Jesus' way of overcoming fear. When the time was almost at hand for Him to go to the cross, He asked His Father to take away His cup of suffering, because He knew how heavy the suffering He had to face would be. He also invited His disciples to pray so that they would not fall into temptation. 

Though it was hard, Jesus put His Father's will above His own. After that, an angel came to give Him strength. After praying, Jesus was ready to face it all: being betrayed, denied, and abandoned by His disciples, slandered, beaten, spat on, forced to carry the cross, and nailed to the wood until He met death. He bore it all because Jesus loves us so deeply.

Follow Jesus' example by praying that God's will be done, not our will. Let His plan be carried out because He knows what is best for us. Then ask the Lord for strength so that we may be enabled to complete every test of life that we must go through.

3. Pray for the Good of Others

I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. – John 17:14-16

When someone prays for us while we are facing struggles, we are surely encouraged. How good it is for us to do the same for others who are carrying heavy burdens. Maybe we cannot help directly, but we can pray for them.

It is easy for us to pray for someone when we are happy and everything is going well. But what if we are not in a good condition? Can we still pray for others? 

Even while struggling and afraid because He had to face death on the cross, Jesus still prayed for His disciples. Even more remarkable, Jesus' prayer for others was very detailed. Knowing that the disciples would face many hard challenges after His departure, He prayed that God the Father would protect them from evil things.

Come, let us not think only of ourselves, but think of our neighbors too. If we wait until our lives are safe and comfortable before praying for others, perhaps all our lives we will never have the chance to pray for anyone.

Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person, when prayed in faith, has great power. – James 5:16

Never underestimate the power of prayer, and make Jesus our example in prayer. Make God the priority number one in our lives every day, put His will above our own will, and pray for the good of others. Happy praying and praying for one another!

-