The New Testament provides many narratives of our Lord’s prayers, but not nearly all of them. Prayer was a constant part of Jesus’ life. We are fortunate to have several of his prayers recorded for our examination and edification.

Jesus Prayed Alone

A search of the gospels indicates that Jesus prayed alone, in public, with others, for others, before important decisions, regularly and persistently. He did not always expect an answer to his prayers, preferring rather that God’s will be done in his experiences, including during the challenging times of his last days and hours.

Matthew 14:23 is an example of Jesus removing himself from others to pray alone. "And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone." Mark 1:35 presents essentially the same theme. "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." In the Matthew account, Jesus moved to a solitary location to pray. In the Mark passage, he found isolation by also rising early from sleep. Both actions take special effort, so there must be reasons why praying alone is important.

Jesus gives us a partial answer in his admonition recorded in Matthew 6:5-6. "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

There are reasons why public prayers are sometimes appropriate, but private praying is essential to our life in Christ. Isolation provides focus, and removes the possibility of anything but pure motives in our communication with the Heavenly Father. Private prayers should remain private. In other words, no one should know about the occasions when we pray alone. Otherwise, that portion of our prayer life is no longer truly private.

Praying alone, preferably in a quiet setting, helps us to better focus on our prayer’s content. Distractions are decreased, so we can concentrate strictly on our communication with God, as we come to Him with all of our thoughts, needs, and questions. We can praise the Lord, thank him for all that he does, express our gratitude for the blessings in our lives, and declare our appreciation for his plan, as well as seek forgiveness for our offenses.

Prayers said in a public setting were another part of our Lord’s ministry, and they can serve as a wonderful example for our own prayer lives. Prayers spoken before a meal, either verbally or silently, are perhaps one of our more frequent expressions to the Lord. Mark 8:6 records the words of Jesus. "And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks." This is one of the few New Testament passages where we see Jesus verbally expressing thanks to God for temporal nourishment. (We suggest that the prayer of thanks for the Memorial emblems — see Matthew 26:26 — was not a blessing for nourishment, since the emblems were not a meal, but rather used as sacred symbols.)

We generally think of prayer as communicating with God regarding spiritual matters, but expressing thankfulness for temporal nourishment is certainly appropriate. It follows in line with Jesus’ example. We appreciate God’s provision for our basic needs, and we expect there to be a spiritual benefit, because the strength we gain from nourishment can be used in the Lord’s service. The few examples in the scriptures of prayer over food indicate that the words spoken should be brief and to the point. This is not a time to linger in prayer as we review a list of God’s providences.

The most memorable of our Lord’s public prayers is found in the only Biblical account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. "Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 11:41,42).

In this account, we not only observe a prayer stated publicly, but Jesus provides a key reason as to why some prayers should be said in a public setting and audibly. Such expressions let others know of the importance of God in our lives. These prayers can serve as a twofold witness: non-believers see good people manifesting the importance of a spiritual connection in their lives, and those of a Christian persuasion see that connection clearly and unashamedly declared. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Romans 1:16).

Jesus also prayed before making serious decisions. One such example is found in Luke 6:12,13. "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles."

The narrative then lists each of the apostles by name. As was often his practice, Jesus found a private place to pray, making an effort to better commune with God without distraction. Also, we see in this passage that Jesus was simply carrying out God’s will, because it was actually the Heavenly Father who chose the apostles for Jesus (John 17:12).

What a wonderful pattern of prayer this passage conveys for us! Before making an important decision, we should commune with the Lord, preferably in a quiet setting. As mentioned before, solitude in prayer helps us focus. And, our desire should be to simply manifest the will of God in our lives.

Some brethren needlessly place themselves under a burden when they constantly try to determine if the Lord is leading this way or that way in their lives. The reality is that we can only guess as to how the Lord is overruling in our experiences, even though the assumption is from a sanctified frame of mind. When we are too expressive to others regarding our assumptions of the Lord’s providential leadings, we run the constant risk of misrepresenting divine providence — something a child of God would never want to do. Romans 8:28 promises continual overruling in our lives from consecration on. Let us examine our experiences carefully and thoughtfully, and, after some evaluation, internally cherish that reassurance of divine intervention. Only on an exception basis, should we express that reassurance to other believers.

We do not always obtain what we pray for, and neither did Jesus. In the hours before his sacrificial death, we note Jesus praying, "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). Here, Jesus provides another example for us to follow. We should feel free to express our preferences to God in prayer, but only with the stated preference that our Heavenly Father’s will be done in the matter. Jesus’ preface of "if thou be willing" should be ours as well. We can be assured that when God’s purposes are fulfilled in our lives, the outcome will be far superior to any notions we may have held.

Finally, a practical suggestion: whenever possible, it is preferable that we pray when we are at our best. Most brethren have had the experience of praying before retiring at night, only to be so tired that the prayer drifts off into meaningless content. If it is our habit of praying at the close of the day, we can do so in the evening hours before fatigue fully sets in. This practice will still allow us to reflect on the experiences of the day as we come to the throne of grace to express gratitude and seek forgiveness.