Jesus and Prayer

Prayer is difficult, especially in our rushed and ready culture.  We heedlessly bypass activities that necessitate patience, waiting, meditating, and introspection with good hopes that we will have time for such another day.  The screaming demands of each day drown out the whispers of reflection.

Prayer, for me, is a form of decompression and processing. It forces me to stop and frame the events of my life and the thoughts of my heart with an eye to God's hand in things. What is His perspective on this situation?  How is He working through it?  What is the correct posture of my heart on this matter?  How can I intercede for others?  What attitudes and thoughts need cleansing, purging, or redirecting?  All this, and a counter-full of dishes awaits me...more glaring, immediate.  

But, despite his brief window of ministry on earth, Christ prioritized prayer. He folded it into every significant event.  He blocked off this time even when the crowds pressed and authorities plotted against him.  His intentionality and consistency in this regard should evoke not just admiration but a desire to pattern our own prayer lives in this way.

The Believer's Bible Commentary notes the many instances of prayer throughout Christ's life:

The prayer life of our Lord is a dominant theme in this Gospel. He prayed here, at the outset of His public ministry. He prayed when He was becoming well known and crowds were following Him (Luk_5:16). He spent a whole night in prayer before choosing the twelve disciples (Luk_6:12). He prayed prior to the incident at Caesarea Philippi, the high-water mark of His teaching ministry (Luk_9:18). He prayed on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luk_9:28). He prayed in the presence of His disciples, and this called forth a discourse on prayer (Luk_11:1). He prayed for backsliding Peter (Luk_22:32). He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane (Luk_22:41, Luk_22:44).