Saints,
If Jesus was fully man and fully God when he walked this earth, why did He spend so much time alone with the heavenly Father? Why did He make time for prayer? Wasn’t He already “very connected” to the Father? Wasn’t He already one with the heavenly Father? Why would He pray all night?
Please review the following passages which describe Jesus’ prayer life while He was on earth.
Hebrews 5:7 (ESV) “ In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.”
John 17:20-21(ESV) “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
Luke 6:12 (ESV) “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.”
Luke 9:18 (ESV) “Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?””
Mark 1:35 (ESV) “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.”
The truth is that Jesus went to a mountain for an entire evening to pray. He slipped away from the crowd and His disciples to pray. He got up early to spend time with His Father. Jesus needed and desired time alone with the heavenly Father.
So, at this point we could review these Bible passages which describe Jesus’ desire for the Father and His prayer life and put ourselves on a shameful guilt trip—or worse, we could point our fingers at others and try to shame them for their prayerlessness.
I don’t believe this is the best response to these truths.
Yes, Jesus spent much time alone with God the father. Yes, if we are truly honest with ourselves—we would have to admit that we don’t spend the kind of time alone with God the Father that Jesus did when He walked this earth. But saints, our response is not to shame ourselves or others to pray more. No, the best response to this apparent “prayer-discrepancy” is to ask the Father for the same desire that Jesus had to intimately connect with Him. Whatever compelled, or drew, or pushed, or encouraged Jesus to seek undistracted time with God alone—that is what we want. That is what we need.
Let’s pray for ourselves and one another…
Father, please give us the same desire to be with You that Jesus had. If Jesus needed time with you, we need time with you. Help us to want you more. Help us to want to be with you as much as you want to be with us. We ask this from You so that your name would be more glorified and Your kingdom would be more impacted in and through us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
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