Why Jesus Needed To Pray

Hey, this is Mike Zwick from If Not For God Podcast. Our show, Stories of Hopelessness, Turned into Hope. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it.

But most of all, thank you for listening and for choosing the Truth Podcast Network. So can we talk? I mean, one of the main reasons, actually, why we struggle with praying consistently is that we, and I'm talking me, get so busy. I mean, there are a list of things calling for attention, and it's hard to set them aside and quiet ourselves to take moments with God. We get caught up in a vicious cycle, really. We know we need to pray. We agree with that in concept, but we have so much going on.

Actually, doing it is another thing. And today we're going to take a fresh perspective on this that just might help us get a new handle on it. And that would be really good, James.

That's right. So today we're going to start by taking a fresh look at Jesus and why he needed to pray at all. Think about it. Jesus was the perfect Son of God. He came from heaven.

He even said, I and the Father are one. So why would someone like that need to pray? Well, why would he make such a priority of it in his life?

I think there are a couple of reasons. One is that Jesus is the ultimate example for all of us in how to live with God. And second, he shows us what a healthy relationship with God looks like.

And that's clearly one of dependence. After all, he also said, I can do nothing apart from the Father. So Jesus felt the need to pray if Jesus, with all he had to do, wasn't too busy to pray. You know, that kind of points us in the right direction, right?

Yeah, it does. I mean, he had plenty to do, but he still took the time. And I thought it would help to take a look at some of the ways that Jesus went about prayer, because I think if we go there, then it will empower us in some new ways. Awesome.

Let's go. Okay, well, first, Luke 5 16 tells us that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to pray. So he got alone with God, he did it frequently.

And he did what he could to minimize interruptions. And in that next chapter, in Luke 6 12, Luke mentions Jesus spent the whole night praying. But as soon as you hear that, you might think, Well, how can anyone do that? I have trouble even praying for five minutes, you know, let alone an hour, but but all night, how do you do that? Yeah, that's a really good question.

How do you do it? Well, Ben Patterson, another author on prayer points out that, for Jesus, prayer was more about communion than it was about communication. So, again, you know, we come to that place where we see it's about so much more than words. And if you think about it, sometimes Jesus shows us this when we pray. This morning, when I was praying, I realized I have to focus on this more.

After all, if it's a matter of knowing him, and I don't really focus, how can I say that I know him. So I tried to get rid of all of the distractions and just really, you know, drill down, so to speak. And I was reading a collection of scriptures prayers by Ken Boa, who's another prayer author I really like. And that helped my heart move in the right direction, you know, just kind of eating the red meat of scripture and praying. And then I got out my prayer list and pray from that. But while this is going on, I start to realize, I really feel close to God. I sense his love in a special way. And that's why I believe Jesus prayed the way he did, because he loved the Father. And it was all about being close to him, living in his love, not about requests and answers, as much as it is about relationship. And so he just went there.

Darrell Bock Yeah, that makes sense. And so what are some of the other ways that Jesus prayed that can help us? Ken Boa Well, one of the big ones is he prayed scripture, and you see him doing this in no less a place than on the cross, both when he prays, Why have you forsaken me? Psalm 22, one, and also into your hands, I commit my spirit, Psalm 31, five. So the fact that he was doing this from the cross, you know, as he can barely draw breath, shows how deep this goes with him. He hardly has any strength, but that's where he goes. And there's so much power in praying scripture and in praying the prayers of the Bible, we can really learn from Jesus in this. Darrell Bock Oh, there really is a lot of power there. And here I'm going to put in a shameless plug for James' book, right, Praying the Prayers of the Bible, because it really can help you make scripture prayers your own.

Ken Boa Thanks, Robby. And yeah, we need to. I mean, I mean, scripture is a living book, breathed by God, and his spirit moves through it. So learning to follow Jesus' example in this and taking it to heart when we pray can really make a difference. It's also another way of making prayer more about communion, you know. Jesus prayed that way, I think, so he could just be close to the Father, and he prayed in another way that shows us how much that mattered.

Darrell Bock And what was that? Ken Boa Well, look at the way he addressed God. If you go through the Old Testament, you'll find that God was referred to as Father 15 times. But as soon as you get into the four Gospels of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you see that Jesus referred to God as Father no fewer than 165 times, you know, just in those four brief books by comparison to the Old Testament.

And that includes that term Abba, Father, which is so tender. And this shows us the heart of Jesus when he's praying. It's all about love, again, being with God. And I think that's also why he fasted and prayed. We know he did that from the fact that he did it before he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. And that brings us to still another reason why Jesus prayed. Darrell Bock But wait, there's more.

Ken Boa There really is. I mean, the prayer life of Jesus is fascinating. Just take a look at what he said in Mark 929 when the disciples can't cast out this demon from a man's son. And the man says, If you can do anything, please help us. And Jesus says, If you can, everything is possible for the one who believes. And the man says one of my favorite prayers in all of Scripture. He responds, I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.

And I love that. That's a prayer I've prayed so many times. And of course, Jesus casts out the demon and later in private, the disciples ask why they couldn't do it. And he responds, this kind can only come out by prayer.

So that also kind of shows you where the disciples were, you know. So the point is, there's power in prayer, God's power. And he wants us to learn how to move more and more in that strength. And there's even more. Just look at the whole subject of Jesus teaching on perseverance in prayer.

That's such a big one that we'll have to take a whole talk maybe next week to just look at it. Darrell Bock Wow. So to sum it up, Jesus shows us how to pray with tenderness and closeness to God. He shows us that real prayer is about relationship and communion with him. He often prayed the words of Scripture, and he drew real power from it.

You're right. There's so much here. We could keep going, but I think it's your turn to pray this week.

Dr. Gerry Breshears Okay, let's do it. Father, we praise you for Jesus. Oh, Lord Jesus, we thank you that even now you intercede for us, and you bless us and welcome us into this opportunity of prayer. Oh, keep us close. Help us, Lord, to draw closer. Thank you that you are right there waiting for us when we do. Bless us, each one of us, to love you and live with you in your name. Amen. Dr. Darrell Bock Amen. You can hear more from Pastor James by visiting his website, jamesbanks.org, or by visiting Peace Church in Durham, North Carolina. May God bless you and encourage you as you pray. Announcer This is the Truth Network.