Years ago I had the great honor of co-leading a class about worship and prayer alongside our Associate Pastor. As one who has had a mostly ongoing conversation with God for big chunks of my life, I admit my inability to answer the question we got the most frequently in that class: Why should we pray? My only inward answer at the time was because we do… But I knew that was not the answer they were looking for. They sincerely wanted to know why we should pray:
- if God already knows everything.
- if God already has all the power.
- if God won’t answer all the prayers.
Far from upsetting me, their sincere, non-combative inquiries helped me experience a bit of a much-needed awakening, and it has pushed me to dig deeper into their question, Why should we pray? I’m figuring out most of us have no context for prayer as going beyond telling God what we want.
Why should we pray? Perhaps one of my pastors said it most succinctly – we pray because Jesus does.
Why Jesus Prayed While on Earth
I’ve held my pastor’s guiding principle toward prayer loosely all these years, and only recently did the light bulb go on (duh!) – while on earth, Jesus prayed. The Son prayed to the Father. Constantly. Consistently.
At a recent conference one of the speakers helped us engage with Scripture in a way that unpacked why Jesus prayed – and it started with understanding the relationship between Father and Son. I’ll do my best to pass on what I learned!
First, we look to a first century hymn that Paul includes in his letter to the Philippians, which he uses as a means for exhorting believers to live like Christ Jesus (2:5),
“Who, being in very nature God,
Philippians 2:6-7
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.”
Jesus is God, yet when He chose to leave His throne to descend to earth, to live in a mortal body, He also chose not to take advantage of His status.1 Instead, He lived humbly as a man, as a servant. In other words, “Jesus remained God but didn’t use His God-ness.”1
That’s why at His baptism it’s so significant that we hear the Father’s voice, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased,” and see the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus (Luke 3:22). Like kings of old, the fully-human-fully-divine Man God gets anointed. And empowered.
“Full of the Holy Spirit” Jesus steps into the first phase of His ministry (Luke 4:1) – a set-apart time with God, fasting, praying*, preparing, overcoming (Matthew 4:2). In other words, Jesus is given everything He needs for His holy assignment, namely the Holy Spirit. And so it is by the power of the Spirit (Luke 4:14), Jesus heads home to Nazareth to read the prophetic words of Isaiah 61:1-2a,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
Luke 4:18-19, emphasis mine
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
He closes the Isaiah scroll and announces this prophecy is fulfilled – in that moment, in Him (v.21).
These scenes paint for us a picture of our Savior-in-Flesh in need of Holy Spirit power – not because He isn’t God but because He chose to live on earth (also) as a human, dependent on Spirit-power. Jesus models for us in everything He does how to live like Him. It’s why on His last night, He took the time to wash His disciples’ feet, telling them, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15).
Jesus, whose ministry was to heal and cast out demons and raise the dead, wanted all of us to see what it looks like to embody such power – humbly, as a servant. And completely dependent on the Spirit. It’s why He could say something like, “whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these” (John 14:12).
We can do “even greater” things than Jesus – not by relying on our own strength and talents, but by depending on the Spirit. Not by knowing all the answers or having all the plans, but by following the Father’s will. Just as Jesus did.
Friends, it’s so important for us to see that “Jesus didn’t do ministry out of His divinity – otherwise, we couldn’t imitate Him!”1
And – this is why Jesus prayed. Living from limited humanity, Jesus needed to know His Father’s will. He needed to abide in His Father, keeping the relationship whole and holy. He needed supernatural power and wisdom to do the will of God. Just. Like. Us.
Teaching Us to Pray
Jesus was intentional in His prayer life. At least nine times the gospel writers note that Jesus would go off by Himself to pray, to be with the Father.2 After He’d pray, for example, He would know who to ask to be His disciple; He’d know where to go next; He’d find His next step as well as the strength for His task. All the while, we get a sneak peek into Jesus’ life of prayer – a life we’re meant to imitate.
The Jewish tradition has always called for regular prayer – morning, noon, and night invocations, as well as blessings for meals, prayers for particular purposes, and Scriptures like the Shema that are to be repeated throughout the day. So when the Twelve ask their Rabbi to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1), it’s not because they don’t know how to pray. It’s not because they wondered if they should pray. They were, in fact, praying men. But as they observed Jesus praying, they wanted to know His way to pray.3 What followed has become the preeminent Christian liturgical prayer, known as the “Lord’s Prayer.”
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
Matthew 6:9b-13 NLT
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.
In Matthew’s gospel, the Lord’s Prayer lands at the epicenter of the Sermon on the Mount with the basic framework of Luke’s version intact, but elaborated upon. It’s poetic in its structure and delivery. It’s liturgical in its function – repeated across the globe in churches and homes since the day it was given. It’s also a bit of a template – a directive for how to pray so that our character gets shaped and the way we relate to God develops rhythms and routines.3
“The Lord’s Prayer is formative, meant to shape us over a long period of time.”3
It’s so fun to look at the language Jesus uses as He teaches His disciples how to pray. When you pray is a phrase that appears three times in the Matthew section (6:5,6,7). Jesus assumes the crowd listening, including us, is already a praying people. In fact, even in the broader first century culture, prayer was a big part of life. For instance, the “hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners” and the Gentiles “who babble on and on” were heard all over the place (vv.5,7).
When you pray… not if. When you pray. Friends, just as in His day with His disciples and the crowds, Jesus desires to influence our prayers. It’s why we find this particular prayer more than once in Scripture. It’s why it remains a part of our current practices to this day. It is a prayer designed to lead and inform us, but as we’ll discover, when we say it over and over and over, its deeper purpose is to form us.
Jesus Prayer #1
The Lord’s Prayer is actually one of nine “Jesus Prayers” in the Gospels. Nine times we get to step behind the curtain and hear how Jesus prayed, and they have much to show us, much power to shape us. We’ll explore one prayer a week through Lent, plus two weeks. 😉 And as we do, I believe we’ll not only learn why we should pray but we’ll find many ways to pray, many purposes for praying.
Perhaps the Lord’s Prayer has already encamped itself in your heart or maybe it has grown cold and rote. Either way, I challenge you this Lent to lean into a different translation of the familiar verses. Feel the words roll off your tongue in new ways. Watch word choices point you in new directions – and deeper into the heart of Christ.
Or it could be that you don’t know this prayer or have little experience with it. I invite you this season to read Matthew 6:9-13 in whatever translation you’re most comfortable with and allow yourself to read the words aloud each day.
As we engage with the Lord’s Prayer, we ask the Holy Spirit to guide us through its words and purposes. Sometimes simply noticing its structure gives us new revelations – such as, how the first three lines are all about God and the last three are about us.3 We can study it and hear it in various translations. But mostly, we’re meant to pray it.
As we move through all the Jesus Prayers this Lent, we’ll gain a greater understanding of prayer – why we should be praying people – hopefully to the point that we will more fully embrace prayer as a constant in our lives. We’ll also keep an eye out for just how deeply this particular prayer shaped Jesus. And if we’re really paying attention, I think we’ll start to notice it shaping us.
Father God, when Jesus stepped onto the Mount of Transfiguration, your booming voice shook the earth, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” You descended in all your glory onto a mountaintop to deliver truth – Jesus is your Son! You like what He’s about. And you want us to listen to Him. We desire to do just that, so we ask that You would send your Spirit to us now and throughout this season of Lent to help us listen to Jesus, to do all that He asks of us. Guide us, Father, just as You did for Jesus as He walked the earth, by teaching us to pray. Instill in us a heart to know You better. Build within us a confidence that we are chosen to know your will, to see your Son, and to hear every word You speak to us. Shape us with Jesus’ prayers in such a way that our relationship with You deepens, our desire to know your will exceeds our human-limited-abilities, and our understanding of who we are in Christ leads us toward obedience and gratitude and joy! Our Father in heaven, we want to keep your name holy. We long for your Kingdom to come soon. And we ask that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. May You give us our daily bread – everything we need to sustain us each day. Forgive us; help us to forgive others. And help us not to yield to temptation’s pull – but rescue us from the evil one. In your Son’s most holy name we pray, amen.
(inspired by Matthew 17:5/Luke 9:35/Mark 9:7; Luke 11:1; Jeremiah 24:7; Acts 22:14; Matthew 6:9-13)
Thank you for joining me for Lent and this series. Despite having been a pretty good conversationalist with God for most of my life, I have a deeper appreciation for prayer in recent years. I’ve been discovering that my “prayer life” is but the tip of a much larger, unseen iceberg. I’m very excited to be shaped by the prayers of Jesus, and it’s my hope that we will all move from wondering why we should pray to becoming believers who pursue a “life of prayer” – just as Jesus did. And He’ll show the way through this Lent season…and beyond. XOXO
PS — I’m doing a giveaway — see the bold section below!!
*Though Scripture doesn’t come right out and say that Jesus prayed while in the wilderness, in Jesus’ day and context, when someone fasted it implied prayer.
Resources: I love sharing with you the books, podcasts, articles, and anything else that has inspired, encouraged, or taught me. These are humble offerings with no expectations.
- 1 – The conference I got to attend last month was the New Room Leadership Gathering, where Pastor Jon Thompson gave multiple talks on the role and power of the Holy Spirit. So, so good. I bought two of his books, so I’m sure you’ll be hearing more. The places I cited him today came from his first talk. You can find out more about pastor Thompson here.
- 2 – Here’s a list of the nine times (some overlap) we see Jesus go off by Himself to pray: Mark 1:12; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:15/Mark 1:45; Luke 6:12-13/Mark 3:13; Matthew 14:13; Mark 6:31-32; Matthew 14:32/Mark 6:46; Matthew 5:29; Mark 14:32
- 3 – Bible Project Podcast, “How Does the Lord Teach Us to Pray?” published May 13, 2024. This is part one of a multi-part series on the Lord’s Prayer. It’s a worthy listen if you wanna dig deeper!
- Though I never quoted him, I want to thank JD Walt of Seedbed for inspiring a series specifically on Jesus’ Nine Prayers. I knew for a while I wanted to do a series on prayer for Lent, but I wasn’t sure what that would look like until recently – when JD did a series on Jesus’ prayers. Thank you! As always! Here is the first of that series if you’d like to learn more about the Jesus Prayers. I prefer to listen to JD 😉
- We have a new Spotify playlist for this Lenten series, Embrace Prayer. It’s a holy combination of hymns and spiritual songs that point us to the cross and the grave and that teach or demonstrate prayer. The opening song, “Awake My Soul,” is a song I have loved and worshiped with for years. But at the New Room Leader Gathering, when I sang along with the lyrics, I realized it was about the posture of prayer:
There is a sound I love to hear
It’s the sound of the Savior’s robe
As He walks into the room where people pray
Where we hear worship He hears faith…
There is a sound that changes things
The sound of His people on their knees
Don’t you love those sound pictures?Jesus walking into the room where we pray — and He hears FAITH! And how the sound of us being on our knees…in prayer…changes things. And I do believe the very first thing such praying does is CHANGE US. Yes, Lord! Let it be so! - Lent is my season to get back on with my weekly teaching, “Teacup,” videos. I’m feeling rusty, but I feel God is saying it’s time. I’d love your prayers as I shift my focus and energy to extend my time working each day/week. You can find all the (old) videos on my Facebook Author Page, Instagram, YouTube, and, hopefully I’ll soon be posting them on Substack.
- Lent ushers in a new season for me as a writer — I’m adding Substack as a landing place for all my writing (more effort and energy required–LOL). I’ll still post my monthly newsletter there, but I’ll also post these blogs each week there with the hope of reaching a broader audience — whoever Jesus might want to read His words. And, as God would have it, the Devoted Collective has also moved to Substack — so ALL my writing will be there. But, I’ll still post here each week as always! Thanks for your faithfulness and encouragement!!
One more note about Substack — I’m all set up to embed an audio recording of each of my blog posts. It’s simply me reading what I’ve written here for those who might benefit from LISTENING to words rather than reading them (here’s to you, Mom!!). All on Substack. - The most recent edition of The Abiding Life newsletter just landed. I enjoy sharing with you about my own experiences as I embark on this Lenten journey — and I’m hopeful next month’s newsletter will hold new revelations! You can subscribe for future newsletter posts here!
Rhythms: As my newsletter’s title infers, we seek to develop an abiding life in this space — a place where we can get informed but also be transformed as we learn to abide in God’s presence throughout our days. I like to think that developing rhythms is one way to aid us in our desire to become more Christlike. This Lent, we’ve put our focus on the rhythm of prayer.
- I’m inviting you to do something really fun and NEW for Lent — Prayer Bibles! Most of us have more than one Bible laying around the house or maybe you’ve been thinking about buying a new one, SO, let’s use a Bible that isn’t your usual go-to Bible to create what’s called a Prayer Bible. I got the idea here; the idea is to mark and highlight passages in the Bible that we can use to pray God’s Word. However, for Lent we are going to hone-in only on the Jesus Prayers. I’ve just begun my own Prayer Bible and have given pictures and more commentary on it in my newsletter that just released. For now, tab the page where Matthew 6:9-13 lands in your Bible and highlight those verses — I love to match the color of the tab with the highlighter. 😉 😉 😉 Then, as we pray this week and any other time, you can easily find the Lord’s Prayer!
AND — I’m doing a giveaway. Next week I’ll draw a name from everyone who enters (simply by subscribing to my Substack page) and giveaway a brand new Bible (pink, NLT, large print) and a set of tabs. If you want to enter, go here and subscribe!! XOXO
Back to the main thing — this week let’s immerse ourselves in the Lord’s Prayer. I cannot emphasize more the gift of reading and praying this prayer in different translations, so maybe choose a different version from your phone app each day. And give yourself space to pause, reflect, and listen as you move through each line. - Something about this season opens people up a little more to hear God’s story and the work of Jesus. One way you can do that is by sharing this site and telling others your own stories of faith experiences. Maybe, just maybe, God will even give us opportunities to pray for people He puts in our paths. I’d love to hear about it when He does!
Featured Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash. “All the Bits and Pieces” photo by Aleksandra Sapozhnikova on Unsplash.
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