Jesus Praying
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JESUS PRAYING
Jesus, although he was the Son of God, felt utterly dependent on a power higher than himself; and he prayed often.
Here are some of the recorded instances:
At his baptism (Luke 3:21)
In a solitary place (Mark 1:35)
In the wilderness (Luke 5:16)
All night, before choosing the Twelve (Luke 6:12)
Before his invitation, "Come unto Me" (Matthew 11:25-27)
At the Feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:11)
After the Feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:23)
When he gave the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1-4)
At Caesarea-Philippi (Luke 9:18)
Before his Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-29)
For Little Children (Matthew 19:13)
Before the raising of Lazarus (John 11:41-42)
In the Temple (John 12:27-28)
At the Supper (Matthew 26:26-27)
For Peter (Luke 22:32)
For the disciples (John 17)
In Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36, 26:39, 26:42, 26:44)
On the cross (Luke 23:34)
At Emmaus (Luke 24:30)
In every recorded prayer Jesus addressed God as "Father" (Matthew 6:9, 11:25, 26:39, 26:42; Luke 11:2, 23:34; John 11:41, 12:27, 12:28, 17:1, 17:5, 17:11, 17:21, 17:24, 17:25), so different from the labored, lofty, and ponderous openings of many "pastoral" prayers.
The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer can be found in Luke 11:2-4 and a longer form in Matthew 6:9-13. We doubt that Jesus intended it to be repeated word for word in unison in church. We think the Lord's Prayer was an example meant to guide us in our approach to God.
Secret Prayer
Jesus put considerable emphasis on secret prayer (Matthew 6:6). This does not mean we should not participate in public prayer. We should never be ashamed to pray, or to give testimony to our faith via prayer. But we should be on guard lest we try to impress others with our prayers. Prayer is a matter between us and God; not something to talk about. By far the larger part of our prayer life should be absolutely secret, so as to give ourselves no chance to fool ourselves on our motives. If, before and after every important act or decision, we lift our heart to God for guidance, strength, or in thanksgiving, and let it be strictly between ourselves and God, there is no other habit that will do so much to give us joy in life and strength for every emergency. With prayer, we go through life hand in hand with an all-powerful friend whom we take into our confidence and consult about everything.
(Paraphrased from "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Jesus, although he was the Son of God, felt utterly dependent on a power higher than himself; and he prayed often.
Here are some of the recorded instances:
At his baptism (Luke 3:21)
In a solitary place (Mark 1:35)
In the wilderness (Luke 5:16)
All night, before choosing the Twelve (Luke 6:12)
Before his invitation, "Come unto Me" (Matthew 11:25-27)
At the Feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:11)
After the Feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:23)
When he gave the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1-4)
At Caesarea-Philippi (Luke 9:18)
Before his Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-29)
For Little Children (Matthew 19:13)
Before the raising of Lazarus (John 11:41-42)
In the Temple (John 12:27-28)
At the Supper (Matthew 26:26-27)
For Peter (Luke 22:32)
For the disciples (John 17)
In Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36, 26:39, 26:42, 26:44)
On the cross (Luke 23:34)
At Emmaus (Luke 24:30)
In every recorded prayer Jesus addressed God as "Father" (Matthew 6:9, 11:25, 26:39, 26:42; Luke 11:2, 23:34; John 11:41, 12:27, 12:28, 17:1, 17:5, 17:11, 17:21, 17:24, 17:25), so different from the labored, lofty, and ponderous openings of many "pastoral" prayers.
The Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer can be found in Luke 11:2-4 and a longer form in Matthew 6:9-13. We doubt that Jesus intended it to be repeated word for word in unison in church. We think the Lord's Prayer was an example meant to guide us in our approach to God.
Secret Prayer
Jesus put considerable emphasis on secret prayer (Matthew 6:6). This does not mean we should not participate in public prayer. We should never be ashamed to pray, or to give testimony to our faith via prayer. But we should be on guard lest we try to impress others with our prayers. Prayer is a matter between us and God; not something to talk about. By far the larger part of our prayer life should be absolutely secret, so as to give ourselves no chance to fool ourselves on our motives. If, before and after every important act or decision, we lift our heart to God for guidance, strength, or in thanksgiving, and let it be strictly between ourselves and God, there is no other habit that will do so much to give us joy in life and strength for every emergency. With prayer, we go through life hand in hand with an all-powerful friend whom we take into our confidence and consult about everything.
(Paraphrased from "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan)
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