Pray Like Jesus

No one ever prayed like Jesus. When it comes to prayer, He truly is the “expert.” While on earth, Jesus prayed with a depth of intimacy that is unmatched. He communed with God through thanksgiving, petition, intercessions, and spiritual warfare. No one ever prayed like the Master.

When theologians discuss Jesus’ life and ministry, they often focus on His insightful teachings, His compassion for the poor and needy, His mercy and grace toward sinners, His liberating power to heal the sick and cast out demons, and His uncanny ability to outsmart the Jewish religious leaders of His day who often opposed Him. Yet, these same theologians often fail to emphasize Jesus’ prayer life. Reading the Gospels reveals how important prayer was to our Lord. You can transform your prayer life by studying Jesus’ life and following His example in prayer.

Jesus Prayed in the Morning

Jesus set aside every morning for His Father. In Mark’s Gospel we read about a busy day in His ministry. He taught in the synagogue, cast out a demon from a man in the audience, went to Peter’s house, healed Peter’s mother-in-law from a fever, dined with His disciples, healed many sick people, and cast out demons from those who flocked to Him in Capernaum. Yet, in spite of such a busy schedule, Jesus rose early the next morning to spend time alone with His Father in prayer.

Mark 1:35 says, “In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.” I like to point out that Jesus won “the battle of the covers!” Though He was no doubt tired, He got out of bed, left the house, went to a solitary place, and prayed!

For Christians, early mornings are primarily for prayer (cf. Ps. 5:3; 143:8), before we exercise, read the paper, or check emails. The Lord’s Prayer itself is a morning prayer, otherwise, the phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11) makes little sense. Before we communicate with anyone else in the morning, we should talk with God.