Praying As Jesus Prayed


A lot of my devotional readings as of late, have been on the topic of prayer. Praying without ceasing; being watchful in prayer; being thankful in prayer. So I wondered, what about Jesus? What was praying for Him? We know He often went off to pray, but what did He pray about? I found the following Scripture, so I thought I would share my thoughts.

“During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission”. Hebrews 5:7
  • “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions”. Notice this verse says, “during the DAYS of Jesus’ life”.  He didn’t just pray once and done, but Jesus was always in communication with God his Father. Jesus brought everything to the Father in prayer. Then notice how Jesus prayed…
  • “with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death…” this part of the verse really stood out for me. 
  • Jesus poured out His heart to God. He held nothing back, He was open and honest with how He was feeling in that moment. The Biblical definition of the word fervent is, “exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling : zealous”. Jesus was definitely praying with great intensity to God his Father. He new the suffering that lay ahead. He must have known what crucifixion entailed. I wonder if he saw it being used before he was crucified? It was the capital punishment of that day. I wonder if he asked the Father if there was an easier way?  
  • In John 12:27 Jesus says, ““Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? 
  • These verses help me realize what a difficult decision, of being a sacrifice for our sins, must have been for Jesus. He didn’t take it lightly. He struggled. His “soul was troubled”. It makes me wonder, did He fight the same battles we do when the flesh wants one thing and the Spirit wants another? Did He ever just want to walk away?
  • ‭‭ In Hebrews 4:15, it says. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
  • ‭‭In Luke 4:13 it says, “When the devil had finished all this tempting,  he left him until an opportune time.” Was this the devil’s “opportune time”? Was he attacking Jesus at every turn? Trying to fill Him with fears and doubts? Making Him question His Father’s will? The Bible doesn’t say, but Jesus was in anguish, He was pouring His heart out to the “one who could save him from death”. We are called to the same. In Psalm 63:8, we are called to pour out our hearts to God. In Psalm 55:22, we are called to cast our burdens on the Lord and in 1 Peter 5:7 we are told to cast our anxieties on Him because He cares for us. We can be open and honest with the Lord. We too can pray with fervent cries and tears, and know God hears us, He sees us, this verse says…
  • ‭‭”And He was heard…” God heard the cries Jesus. He saw his pain, his anguish. He knew well His Son’s situation, but He also knew the plan and purpose behind the suffering. Sometimes God says “no”, sometimes He doesn’t change our circumstances. But He promises to be with us THROUGH them. He promises to sustain us; to strengthen us; to help us. Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬
  • So know matter what we go through, let us remember we can pour out our hearts to God as Jesus did, knowing that He understands us more than we understand ourselves, that He can and will help us in His way and time, and that He will and does work all things for our good. 

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