12 Meaningful Things Jesus Wants Us to Know About Prayer

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Jesus said, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30) and “The Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:38)

John wrote, “In the beginning, [Jesus] the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

Jesus always been and will always be true God, and yet, throughout His time on earth He prayed . . . He taught us about prayer and He demonstrated the importance of prayer.

So, let’s pause to look at 12 things He said and examples He gave…

12 Things Jesus Wants Us to Know About Prayer

1. Get away by yourself to pray.

When you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

Matthew 6:6

2. Trust God and pray with faith.

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours.

Mark 11:24

3. Pray for each other.

I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. 

John 17:20

4. Pray with others.

“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”

Matthew 18:19–20

5. Pray often.

Jesus withdrew often to the wilderness for prayer.

Luke 5:16

6. Pray with thankfulness and praise.

At this time, Jesus was full of the joy of the Holy Spirit. He said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.

Luke 10:21

7. Pray before making important decisions.

 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and He prayed to God all night. At daybreak, He called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles.

Luke 6:12–13

8. Pray with persistence. 

One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up.

Luke 18:1

9. Pray with humility.  

Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, “O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.” I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God.

Luke 18:13–14

10. Pray for forgiveness and forgive others.

From then on Jesus began to preach, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”

“But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.”

Matthew 4:17, Matthew 5:44

11. Pray in submission.

“My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Matthew 26:39

12. Pray for unity.

 “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.”

John 17:21

Let’s pray…

Lord, Thank you for Teaching Us About Prayer

Father, a multitude of things have been written about prayer. Countless books and articles tell us how to pray and what to pray to get the outcome we desire. Some offer godly counsel and others not so much.

Please forgive me for failing to pray the way Jesus taught . . . the way Jesus prayed. Forgive my selfish stubbornness in believing that my wants are needs. Forgive me for being prone to worry and trying to deal with life on my own without turning to You and trusting Your will.

Lord, I can relate to the father who said, “Lord, I believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24) Please fill me with Your Spirit and help me remember that You want me to bring everything to you in prayer. Because of Jesus, the throne room door is open to me . . .You receive me with Your grace, mercy, and love.

By Your grace, I will pray for and with the people You bring into my life. I will pray with persistence in humility with submission. And with Your help, I will pray with a heart willing to forgive as I have been forgiven and work toward unity among Your children.

I thank and praise You for this awesome gift. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

The Good News About Prayer

Although Jesus modeled and taught us many things about prayer, there is only one important thing we need to remember.

Prayer is simply expressing our hearts to our Heavenly Father who loves us so much, He sent Jesus to save us.

Prayer is neither complicated nor is it rule-filled. It is simply a conversation with the One who loves us most and best.

We can trust Him. We can surrender our hearts and every part of our lives to Him.

So, let’s pray often . . . remembering that our Father is always waiting for us to come and talk with Him.

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”

Psalm 27:8

May God be with you and bless you as you spend time with Him today.

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