In the next few posts we will follow our Savior and Rabbi through the gospels and discover when Jesus prayed, what He said about praying, and the prayers that He actually prayed. Reading these gospel accounts reveal to us that Jesus prayed in several different situations and circumstances.
- He prayed the Shema (pronounced Shmah) every morning and evening. The three passages of Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 11:13-21, and Numbers 15:37-41 were quoted as a wholehearted ritual to commit themselves to loving God and obeying His laws. We will unpack this prayer in greater detail in another related post.
- He prayed as He guided His disciples into prayer, as we see in the “Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:9-13.
- By praying, Jesus made a mundane event into something sacred, as when He fed thousands of people.
- Jesus prayed for children.
- He prayed alone after significant events, such as the times He fed the thousands. He prayed during significant events, including His baptism. He also prayed when He faced His difficult future on the cross.
- He prayed in administering communion to the disciples during His last hours before the cross.
- He was praying when faced with great agony (Gethsemane), and when facing great sacrifice (Calvary).
- Jesus prays for us incessantly, such as His prayer in the seventeenth chapter of John.
We shall look next to what Jesus has told us about praying.