Confidence in PrayerНамуна

Jesus Prayed

We wonder whether prayer is important. We already looked at the emphasis placed on prayer throughout Scripture. Now, let’s look at the emphasis placed on it in the life of the Son of God, Jesus of Nazareth, God incarnate. He is one with the Father, yet notice how much time He devotes to prayer. Why does He spend so much time, in fact, entire nights in prayer?

“In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles” (Luke 6:12). The night before Jesus selects the twelve, He spends that entire night in prayer.

“And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone” (Matthew 14:23). Jesus’ life showed a pattern regarding prayer.

“But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray” (Luke 5:15–16). If the Lord Jesus had reason to pray, don’t you think we do?

Any faithful follower of Christ practices the same disciplines He did on earth. God significantly used many men and women because of their emphasis on prayer. They have had a great impact in church history.

So, we see that prayer is important, but what is prayer? It is “…the confidence that we have toward him” (1 John 5:14a). That’s what prayer is! It is coming before the face of God. It is communion and communication with God. It is being in the presence of God Almighty, self-existent, all-wise, and perfectly holy God. That’s prayer, that’s where all real prayer begins—acknowledging that reality.

We haven’t begun to pray if we haven’t stopped to realize that we are before the face of God. If we stopped every prayer that didn’t start with this acknowledgment: I am before the face of God, how many prayers would be halted?

Jesus knew He was before the throne of grace in the presence of His Father. He took refuge there. He knew He belonged there. Try it right where you are. “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16).