Have

you ever wondered why Jesus prayed? As Luke 5:16 informs us, “Jesus

often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” The Lord’s passion

for prayer may surprise us. He is God; why would he need to pray at

all?

The

gospels record Jesus praying at key moments in his ministry. First,

remember that Jesus was tempted in the wilderness “after fasting

forty days and forty nights” (Matthew 4:2). Prayer is not mentioned

here, but since prayer and fasting are often connected in the Bible,

it’s safe to ­assume that Jesus prayed intensely to prepare for

the temptations that would follow.

In

addition, Jesus chose his twelve disciples after he “spent the

night praying to God” (Luke 6:12). Through prayer, he was guided by

the Spirit to choose his closest followers. In Luke 11 we read that

one of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray just ­after

he had finished praying. In response, he taught them the prayer we

know today as the Lord’s Prayer (see also Matthew 6:9-13).

On

the night before he died, Jesus prayed as never before, earnestly

wrestling with God. Our Lord’s submission to death on a cross for

our sake, obeying the will of his Father, was the fruit of that

prayerful struggle.

Through

prayer Jesus received strength, discernment, instruction, and

obedience. The bottom line is this: if Jesus needed to pray, how much

more do we?