Jesus prayed when he was in the Earth, the human race multiplied and filled the earth; the Lord’s blessing on humans was fulfilled. But when the Lord looked down from heaven, all the children of men had gone astray; no one did good — no, not even one (Psalm 14:3). The earth had corrupted itself (Genesis 6:12). Therefore, out of His longsuffering, He chose one eternal act to save the world by grace and love.

The Lord planned and sent His own Son to save the wicked world from perishing (John 3:16). He sent Him forth when the fullness of time had come, through a woman. Jesus grew up to the age of thirty under the physical care of human parents. He had wisdom in the Law of Moses and was found in the temple, discussing past and future matters. In many incidents, He revealed Himself as the Son of God (Luke 2:46–50).

Jesus fasted and prayed

When the time came to fulfil the work His Father had assigned Him, He began with a great act of prayer. Jesus fasted for forty days, meaning He spent forty days in conversation with the Lord in prayer (Matthew 4:2). Satan tempted Him after the forty days, but through prayer, He overcame Satan and his plots. Prayer strengthened Him for the great task of saving the perishing world.

Jesus successfully accomplished the work of salvation with the same power and wisdom given by the Father through prayer (1 Corinthians 15:3; John 19:28). He came only to save the world (Matthew 1:21) and completed the work He was sent to do (John 17:4).

Jesus prayed before speaking about the kingdom

Before preaching the gospel and doing mighty deeds, Jesus prayed. He prayed to fulfill His purpose of preaching (Mark 1:35,39) Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where Jesus prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, ³⁷ and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons, to heal the sick (Mark 6:46) After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray, and to call His disciples as apostles (Luke 6:12,13).

He prayed to meet people’s needs

When He saw the great crowds coming to hear Him and staying for days without food, Jesus prayed with compassion, gave thanks, and fed them (Mark 6:41). In Bethany, He prayed at Lazarus’ tomb and called him back to life (John 11:42). His love was shown there (John 11:36; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:9).

Jesus prayed for the chosen

Jesus prayed for those who were chosen. After finishing the work the Father gave Him, He prayed for His people (John 17:9). Jesus prayed for their protection (John 17:11), that they might be united with the Father (John 17:11), that His joy might be fulfilled in them (John 17:13), and that they might not end in eternal loss (John 17:12).

He prayed to teach prayer to His disciples

To teach prayer to His disciples, Jesus often spent time with His Father in prayer. When people went to their houses, He went to the mountains to pray. On one occasion, when He was praying in a certain place, one of His disciples came to Him and asked Him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). He prayed before naming His disciples and appointing them as apostles (Luke 6:12–13).

Jesus prayed for the wicked to be saved

Even for the wicked, Jesus prayed. When Jesus was on the cross, He prayed for those who mocked Him. He prayed for all people who did not understand the love of the Lord and were heading toward eternal loss (Luke 23:34). The Pharisees and scribes could not understand the powerful and purposeful words they had ever heard until Jesus spoke of the forgiveness of sins (Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20).

He proclaimed the relationship with his father

On the cross, when everything was accomplished, Jesus proclaimed His relationship with His Father. He cried, “My God, My God” (Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46), and said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46).

Therefore, we should take these model prayer like Jesus prayed, into our daily lives to fulfill His purpose in us. As the Scripture exhorts us:

“I exhort therefore, that first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life.”