JESUS TAUGHT THROUGH Paul that Christians ought to “pray constantly” (1 Thes. 5:17 CSB; cf. Jn. 16:13). While He obviously did not pray unceasingly, at least in the sense of never stopping, His life was marked and accentuated by prayer. The Lord was always in a prayerful mode. Consider the testimony of Scripture:
IN MATTHEW
He taught the inconsistency of a hypocritical life and prayer. 6:5-8
He trained His disciples about how to pray. 6:9-13
He thanked His Father in a brief prayer after being rejected by certain cities in Galilee. 11:25-27
He prayed up on a mountain by Himself after the thousands tried to force Him to become their king. 14:23; cf. Mk. 6:46; Jn. 6:15
He prayed and gave thanks before miraculously feeding the 4000. 15:36
He prayed for and put His hands on little children. 19:13; cf. Mk. 10:13-16; Lk. 18:15-17
He prayed at the institution of the Lord’s Supper. 26:26; cf. Mk. 14:22-23; Lk. 22:19
He offered the same fervent prayer three times in Gethsemane before His betrayal. 26:39, 42, 44; cf. Mk. 14:32-42; Lk. 22:39-46; Heb. 5:7
He cried out to His Father in prayer and identified Himself as the Messiah. 27:46
IN MARK
He arose long before daybreak and got off by Himself to pray before His first sermon in Galilee. 1:35
He taught a relationship between prayer and fasting. 9:29
He taught the apostles to pray in belief. 11:24
He taught that prayers are accepted contingent upon our forgiving others. 11:25-26
He fell prostrate on the ground and asked His Father to deliver Him from the cross. 14:35, 39
IN LUKE
He prayed at His own baptism. 3:21
He habitually withdrew into the wilderness alone to pray. 5:16
He prayed all night before selecting the twelve. 6:12-13
He was praying at His transfiguration. 9:28-29
He prayed after hearing the report of the seventy. 10:17-19, 20-21
He taught about the importance of persistence in prayer. 18:1ff
He prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail. 22:32
He withdrew about a stone’s throw from Peter, James, and John and knelt to pray in Gethsemane. 22:41
He prayed such a fervent, intense prayer in Gethsemane that His sweat became like drops of blood. 22:44
He prayed that the Father would forgive those who crucified Him in ignorance. 23:34
He prayed right before He died that the Father would accept His spirit. 23:46
He prayed before the meal with the disciples at Emmaus. 24:30
IN JOHN
He prayed in public at the tomb of Lazarus. 11:41-42
He prayed that He would glorify His Father in His crucifixion. 12:27-28
He prayed the “High Priestly” prayer for Himself and His disciples. 17
Jesus recognized the necessity of being in constant communication and intimate communion with His Father. He exemplified the concept of pray and was strengthened as He walked in Heaven’s will. Let’s emulate Him (1 Cor. 11:1).
“God loves you and I love you and that’s the way it’s gonna be!” –Mike
INCARNATE 