Why did Jesus, being God, take time to pray? It seems contradictory, doesn’t it? Discover now how prayer can be much more powerful than you imagine. In the next few minutes, we’ll reveal secrets that can transform your way of seeing and living faith. Stay with us and see why even the Son of God felt the need to deeply connect with the Father. Are you ready for a revelation that can change your life? Don’t miss it.
Why did Jesus, being God, pray to God? This is a question that many people ask. When we analyze the Gospels, we notice that Jesus often isolated himself to pray. For example, in the Gospel of Luke, we are told that he withdrew to solitary places and prayed (Luke 5:16). If Jesus is God, was he talking to himself? This is a valid and intriguing question that encourages us to delve into the duality of Jesus’ humanity and divinity.
One God
There is one God, God is a spirit Who fills all space and time He is eternal with three manifestations: In the Old Testament He is seen as the Father of creation, in the New Testament He is seen as the Son in redemption and the Holy Spirit in the world. Just as water can be found as ice, liquid, or vapor and still be water, God presents himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet still the same God.
God was in Christ
The man Christ Jesus is not eternal He was born at a specific period in time, the eternal Father dwelled in Him so the flesh was temporal and the spirit in the body of flesh is eternal; 2 Corinthians 5:19 “to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the Word of reconciliation.” We can restate it by saying the Spirit was in the body of flesh, the Father was in the Son.
God the Father is the Holy Spirit
God is a spirit, what type of spirit is He? God is a Holy Spirit Isiah 43:3, “For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour”. Here we begin to see the work of our Heavenly Father who became our savior in the New Testament. Remember the name Jesus means Jehovah has become our salvation. Isaiah 12:1-3, “And in that day thou shalt say: “O Lord, I will praise Thee; though Thou wast angry with me, Thine anger is turned away, and Thou comforted me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also has become my salvation.” Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation;”
Jesus Became Our Living Example
The son or flesh of God now filled with the Holy Ghost had to begin to learn the ways of the spirit. Hebrews 5:7-9, “Christ, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death and was heard in that He feared, though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered. and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all those who obey Him,” Just like you and me we are the made children of God, Jesus was the begotten son of God. When we receive, the Holy Ghost must begin to learn the ways of the Holy Ghost.
Our Living Example
Now the man Christ Jesus had to learn to pray, when we see Him praying, we are witnessing the flesh praying to the spirit. This also teaches us that we need to learn to pray to our Heavenly Father. This is the core of Jesus’ earthly ministry and His mission He became our living example. Being fully God and fully man, He dedicated moments for prayer, which illustrates his connection with the Father, fulfills his earthly role, and teaches us about the nature of communication with God.
The Man Christ Jesus
I invite everyone to explore the complex beauty of Jesus’s prayers and what they represent for our spiritual lives. Jesus’s nature is exceptional and unique as He is both God and human. Being 100% God, He can perform actions that only God could do, like unique miracles and saving people in unique ways. But he is also 100% human. He felt hunger, and pain, and died. It’s like having complete sets of capabilities in one person. Imagine having all the superpowers but at the same time living like any other person, facing everything we face, except that he never made mistakes.
Helps us Understand
We believe this because it helps us understand how Jesus could perform incredible feats but also understand what it is to be human. The nature of Jesus is one of the central mysteries of faith, encompassing both his divinity and his humanity, illustrated through his life, death, and resurrection. The purpose of Jesus’s prayers as a model for humanity is evident. He showed us the ideal way to communicate and live with God, always depending on the Father.
He Did Nothing by Himself
Jesus lived in a way to demonstrate that he did nothing by himself. He stated, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees the Father doing because whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19). This means that Jesus awaited God’s direction before acting, just like a child watch and learns from their parents, not trying to act alone. And when he faced extremely challenging moments, just before being captured and crucified, Jesus prayed intensely. He said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This shows that he trusted God’s plan more than his own feelings, even when apprehensive.
How to Pray
Another purpose of Jesus’s prayers was to teach his disciples how to pray. He did not keep his prayer life a secret; he shared it with his friends, and the disciples. One day they asked him to teach them to pray. He said, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:2-4). In this simple prayer, known as The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus showed that praying is talking to God about everything: exalting his name, requesting what is necessary, asking for forgiveness for sins, and seeking help to live righteously.
Perfect Guide
Jesus’s prayers are a perfect guide for us on how to be close to God, talk to him about everything, and trust him with our lives. Another purpose of Jesus’s prayers was the expression of human emotion and need. He demonstrated that, like any of us, he also experienced human emotions and needs. Here are some ways he manifested these very human traits:
Suffering and Anguish
In a place called Gethsemane, which resembles a peaceful park filled with olive trees, Jesus felt such deep sadness that his heart was heavy. The Bible records, “Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me’” (Matthew 26:38). Imagine Jesus, known for healing and helping others, now overwhelmed by such intense sadness that he said it could almost kill him. He went further into the garden, prostrated himself, and prayed to God, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). This cup symbolized the arduous task he knew he had to face: dying on the cross. He did not wish to suffer but was willing to carry out what God wanted.
In Search of Strength and Guidance
Another passage from the Bible (Luke 6:12-13) shows Jesus seeking strength and advice. It says that in those days, he went to the mountain to pray and spent the entire night in prayer to God. At dawn, he called his disciples and chose 12 of them, whom he also named apostles. Before making such an important decision, like choosing his 12 closest friends who would help spread his teachings, Jesus spent the whole night talking to God. It was not just a quick conversation but hours asking for help and guidance.
These stories remind us that Jesus was not just a spiritual figure but also a person who felt deep emotions and had needs like anyone else. He felt overwhelming sadness and sought tranquil places to ask for guidance, showing that it’s okay for us to do the same when we are facing tough times or important decisions.
In Fulfilling Human Righteousness
Jesus lived the perfect life that we, with our limitations, cannot achieve. As we delve into the stories and teachings of the Bible, we discover that Jesus not only lived exemplarily, he embodied human perfection, obeying God completely, something that is challenging for us to do daily. The book of Hebrews tells us that during his earthly journey, Jesus offered prayers and supplications with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death and was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered (Hebrews 5:7-8). His prayers were not mere whispers to the wind, but true cries loaded with genuine emotion. Yet, his obedience was unwavering, regardless of the sacrifice required.
Philippians 2:8 adds another dimension to this narrative by revealing that even though he took on human form, Jesus humbled himself and was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. He did not only obey when it was convenient; his obedience extended to facing a painful and humiliating death. His life was not made up of a series of easy choices but a continual submission to God’s will, even if it led him to the cross.
Truly Remarkable
What makes Jesus’s life truly remarkable is that being fully human like us, with the same emotions, temptations, and pains, he never failed in his obedience and submission. Every action, every word, and every thought were in perfect alignment with divine designs. He did not live for himself but for God and for us.
Jesus is Crucial
The perfect life of Jesus is crucial because it accomplished something extraordinary on our behalf. Where we fail to be righteous, his existence offers us the chance to be seen as righteous before God. It’s as if he took the test of life and scored perfectly on behalf of humanity. Therefore, by believing in him, it’s as though this flawless score is transferred to our record. Imagine trying to follow a recipe without making a single mistake. For us, that is practically impossible. But Jesus managed it. We might mix the wrong ingredients, measure incorrectly, or even overcook the meal, but Jesus, in the kitchen of life, followed the divine recipe without making mistakes. He lived the life we should have lived and offered us the reward as if we had achieved it ourselves.
Perfect Obedience
By understanding Jesus’s perfect obedience and submission, we can appreciate the incredible gift that is offered through faith in him. It is a gift that encourages us, not because we can earn it, but because it is given freely, a testament to the perfect life he lived in our place.
Conclusion
In Jesus’s life, prayer was not just a religious obligation or a public display; it was something natural and essential, like breathing, a lifeline to connect with his Father. For Jesus, praying meant maintaining an unbreakable bond, like that of a child with their father. Even as the Son of God, he maintained dialogues with the Father, depending on this connection for strength and guidance. This tells us something powerful about prayer: it is not just about making requests; it’s about keeping our relationship with God alive and fresh. Look at what happened right after Jesus was baptized: as he was praying, heaven was opened (Luke 3:21). At that moment, heaven seemed to open, symbolizing deep engagement