Learning From Jesus How to Pray

In 1 Peter 2:21, we are taught to follow the example left by Jesus. Let’s look at the example He left us in the area of prayer. What can we learn from Jesus about prayer?

Jesus often went to a solitary place to pray.

Mark 1:35 says, “…He went out to a solitary place and there he prayed.” In Matthew 14:23 we learn that He “went up on a mountain by Himself to pray.” In Luke 5:16 the statement is made that He “often withdrew into the wilderness to pray.” And in Luke 9:18, we learn that “He was alone praying.” Jesus saw the value in getting off by Himself to pray, where there would be no interruptions, no distractions. We should learn the same lesson.

Jesus made time for prayer.

In Mark 1:35 we see Jesus rising “a long while before daylight,” just so He would have time to pray. Crowds were with him during the day, so He had to make this time to pray. There is a difference in this and praying as we have time, or as we can find the time. Prayer was important enough to Jesus that He made time for it—and so should we.

Jesus had a lot to pray about.

Luke 6:12 tells of an occasion when Jesus “continued all night in prayer to God.” When we read of someone praying as often as Jesus did, and then spending a whole night in prayer, we can safely conclude that He had a lot to pray about. And that is certainly true of us. In fact, if we did nothing but give thanks in our prayers, we would have to spend a lot of time in prayer. But think about some of the many things for which we are to petition God: our daily bread, strength against temptation, forgiveness, help in training our children, that we would speak the word with boldness, that our faith would increase, that our love would abound, etc. We should be praying for civil authorities, for elders in the church, for deacons, preachers, those who are sick, those who are suffering, etc. We’ve got a lot to pray about, so we better get busy.

Jesus prayed with thanksgiving.

Examples of Jesus doing so can be found in Matthew 11:20-26, 15:32-36, 26:26-28, and John 11:38-42. In addition to these examples, we are given specific instruction to pray with thanksgiving in Philippians 4:6. Let’s make sure that when we come before the Lord with our requests, that we also come before Him with thanksgiving.

Jesus prayed that the Father’s will, not His, be done.

The best example of this is seen in Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36-44). Jesus, of course, taught His disciples to pray in the same manner (Matt. 6:9-10). This is not as easy as we might sometimes think. For example, if we’ve had some terrible illness for a long time, is it God’s will we want done, or our own will? You see, it may be God’s will that this illness remain. Are we prepared to accept that? Notice the assurance given in 1 John 5:14-15: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” With all the petitions we bring before God, let’s make sure we ask that His will, and not ours, be done.

Jesus prayed with confidence.

Read carefully these words of Jesus from John 11:41-42: “…Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me…” Jesus was not filled with doubt when He approached the Father in prayer. He prayed with confidence, with assurance, and so should we (see Heb. 4:14-16; Jam. 1:5-8; 1 John 5:14-15). Of course, if we’re not living righteously, we cannot have this confidence (Jam. 5:16).

Jesus prayed for others, as well as for Himself.

Look at what Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:32: "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." In John 17 we have one of Jesus’ prayers recorded for us. In this prayer, Jesus does pray for Himself, but He also prays for His apostles, and for those who would believe in Him through the words of the apostles. So Jesus approached the Father, not just with His own needs, but also with the needs of others. We, of course, need to learn to do the same thing. In fact, we are taught to do so in passages like Colossians 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; James 5:16; 1 Samuel 12:23.