This article is part of a series, Pray like Jesus, on ways Jesus teaches us how to pray to our heavenly Father. Keep an eye out for related articles.
Jesus prayed like He breathed — naturally, instinctively and without ceasing.
“Jesus was the most complete person who ever lived, yet He made prayer a priority. He knew that only in constant communion with the Father could He fulfill His mission,” Richard Foster writes in “Prayer: Finding the Heart’s True Home.”
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Jesus’ pattern of prayer
Scripture shows Jesus withdrawing often to pray:
— He escaped to a solitary place to pray in the early mornings (Mark 1:35).
— He left the crowds often to pray in “lonely” places (Luke 5:16).
— He prayed all night before making major decisions (Luke 6:12).
— He retreated “as usual” to the Mount of Olives to pray (Luke 22:39).
— He prayed “with fervent cries and tears” (Heb. 5:7).
Dependence on and communion with the Father
Jesus made a habit of constantly praying, keeping the Father always in His mind and heart.
He depended on God for guidance and direction, found encouragement and companionship in His presence and sought His comfort and strength in painful and terrifying times — during His arrest, flogging, crucifixion and death.
“Jesus knew that He could not live without prayer,” John Stott writes in “The Contemporary Christian.” “Though He was the divine Son, He lived in continual dependence on the Father. His prayer life was both an expression of His relationship with the Father and the means by which He maintained that relationship.”
Prayer was Jesus’ lifeline
Jesus maintained constant dependence on God through prayer. It was His lifeline to the Father. Andrew Murray explains this in his book “With Christ in the School of Prayer.”
“Christ knew that prayer is the way to fellowship with the Father. He wanted to teach us that a life of prayer is essential to a life of obedience, power and communion with God,” he writes.
Scripture calls us to constant prayer
New Testament writers urge Christians to maintain unceasing prayer:
— “Pray continually” (1 Thess. 5:17).
— “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (Rom. 12:12).
— “Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).
— “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful” (Col. 4:2).
— “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people” (Eph. 6:18).
— “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42).
What these verses teach us
These verses teach us that prayer is a lifestyle, not just an activity. We are invited to live in unbroken communion with God, keeping an ongoing conversation with Him throughout the day, and to be steadfast and persistent in prayer. Scripture advises us to wait patiently for His answers and to pray in every circumstance with thanksgiving, confession, petition and intercession.
The Spirit intercedes when we cannot pray
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. … The Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Rom. 8:26).
Charles Spurgeon reminds us in his sermon No. 2093, “The Groanings of the Spirit,” that “when you cannot pray as you would, … your feeble prayer is caught up into the mighty prayer of the Holy Spirit.”
John Piper comments on this verse in his sermon “The Spirit Helps Us in Our Weakness.” “When you are at the end of your emotional rope and words are gone, the Spirit is not silent,” Piper said. “He prays for you. He knows your heart and translates your groans into prayers according to the will of God.”
How constant prayer affects our spirit
What happens to our spirit and faith when we pray regularly, following Jesus’ example?
— Our communion with God deepens, and we begin to sense His presence in every moment of our lives (James 4:8).
— Our focus stays on God, not on our daily circumstances. We learn to trust Him more and depend fully on His guidance.
— We become spiritually alert and live in step with His Spirit (Gal. 5:25).
— We find peace and rest. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6–7).
The Christian life requires constant prayer
We — believers in Christ — are called to unceasing devotion in prayer. It proves vital to spiritual life, growth and faith.
“The Son of God was perfectly sinless, eternally in communion with the Father — and yet He prayed. If Jesus needed to pray, how much more must we?” Timothy Keller asks in “Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God.”
Suggestions for prayer
When you pray personally:
— Pray faithfully and consistently.
— Surrender to God’s will above your own.
— Depend on the Spirit when words fail. The Spirit will intercede for you.
— Keep your heart and mind focused on God, aware of the constant presence of His Spirit.
When the Church prays:
— Regularly preach and teach the necessity of unceasing prayer. “No matter what I preach or what we claim to believe in our heads, the future will depend upon our times of prayer,” Jim Cymbala writes in “Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.”
— Prioritize prayer in worship, meetings and ministry efforts.
— Become known as a praying church. “The vitality of the Church was never intended to depend on human strategies but on the power of God released through prayer,” Cymbala writes.
Jesus still prays for us
Jesus prayed constantly during His life on earth, and He continues to intercede for us now. “Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Rom. 8:34).
Jesus, risen and exalted, continues His ministry of prayer on our behalf — unceasing, faithful and full of love.
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