Before Jesus healed Lazarus, He lifted his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me” (John 11:41-42). Jesus had absolute confidence that God the Father would hear his prayer. Many of the people, particularly Lazarus’ family, were still distraught over his death. As Jesus prayed in the hearing of many, it would have demonstrated God’s plan to glorify his Name and reveal Jesus as the Son of God.

Imagine being unable to communicate with a close friend. That would be hard! In any relationship, communication is essential. Lack of communication hinders the relationship’s growth. Our relationship with God is no different. We need to hear from God (through reading the Bible), and God wants to hear from us (through prayer). Prayer is a lifeline and a privilege for the Christian.

Struggling to pray is normal. Believers, both young and old in the faith, testify to the challenge of cultivating a meaningful prayer life. Thankfully, there are aids to prayer. One can go to the Old Testament Psalms and simply pray them. The Bible is filled with prayers, which is a boon to the believer as he or she strives to grow in prayer.

The purpose of this article is to examine the specific prayers recorded in the Bible that Jesus prayed. 

Prayer at His Baptism

John the Baptist had a unique role in redemptive history. God called him to prepare the way for Jesus, the Son of Man. As people came from all over to be baptized, John preached a message of repentance (Matt 3:2). Luke explains, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened” (Luke 3:21). 

Jesus lived a sinless earthly life and did not need to be baptized. However, “to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15), Jesus asked John to baptize him. At that moment, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, and the Father declared, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). During this monumental time, Jesus prayed. Clearly, prayer was natural and regular for him, more so than for anyone else in history. 

Prayer Before Preaching in Galilee

Mark’s gospel shows us Jesus’ prayer life before engaging in ministry. For example, Mark explains, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed” (Mark 1:35). Jesus’ days were often hectic and jam-packed with ministry activity. Sometimes, the only time he could enjoy his Heavenly Father was at the crack of dawn. Jesus found a quiet place to prepare himself for the ministry that awaited him later that day (Mark 1:38-39).

Prayers Before Choosing the Twelve Apostles

Jesus’ commitment to prayer is also on display before he chooses the twelve disciples. Luke writes, “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12).  Before selecting these twelve men, Jesus prayed for a whole night, indicating how seriously Jesus took this. Luke goes on to say, “And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles:” (Luke 6:13). Jesus already had a pool of followers (“disciples”), but from this pool he chose “apostles” in whom He invested heavily. These twelve men would become the church’s foundation (Eph 2:20). The church grew through their faithful preaching of the gospel (Matt 16:18, Acts 2:42).

At the Feeding of the Five Thousand

One of Jesus’ most famous miracles is the feeding of the 5000. Before the disciples distribute the loaves and the fish, Jesus prayed a blessing over the food. “And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing” (Mark 6:41).

This prayer of Jesus models profound faith and dependency upon the Father. We acknowledge our need for God’s daily bread whenever we sit down and pray a blessing before a meal. Prayer is not just about spiritual needs. It reaches the believer’s entire life, including their physical needs. Pausing to give thanks promotes a spirit of gratitude in the believer’s heart.

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