Lenten Reflection #11: Jesus Prays
“Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16, HCSB)
Jesus made it a habit to pray. He prayed to pay attention to God and follow what God wanted Him to do. Jesus, even as the Son of God – who one would think had a direct line to God, had to take time to pray. Prayer was Jesus’ method of communication with His Father. There was no other way for Jesus to listen to God. He prayed.
The Gospel accounts record that Jesus prayed in the morning, He prayed before important decisions (choosing the twelve disciples), and while He was struggling with following God’s will (He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before He went to die on the cross.) He often prayed in isolation. Jesus knew the value of taking personal time to understand what God wanted Him to be and do. There were often distractions which Jesus knew would prevent Him from praying. That’s why He went early in the morning and why He went to an isolated place. He went away so that He could concentrate on listening to God.
How often do you withdraw to pray? What deserted place do you need to go to listen to God?
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