One of my favorite things about God is that He doesn’t just tell us how to live. Instead, He sent Jesus, His perfect and holy Son, to show us how to live. Jesus’ life was marked by prayer.
If you struggle with prayer or aren’t sure how or where to start, you can be encouraged that Jesus didn’t just model a prayerful life; He actually told us how to pray.
Where Did Jesus Teach About Prayer?
Jesus’ life and ministry are primarily captured in the gospels, the first four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Through these books, we see stories of Jesus teaching through the Sermon on the Mount, parables, and the practices He modeled with His own life.
The Sermon on the Mount
One of the earliest teachings during Jesus’ early ministry is known as the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew 5-7. For context, this happens after Jesus’ baptism and 40 days in the wilderness. During this famous sermon, Jesus discusses what it looks like to follow Him, what it truly means to be blessed, how His ministry aligns with the Ten Commandments, and more.
Quote: Jesus preaches that it’s much more important to know God than it is to make grand displays of eloquent prayers.
Notably, in Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus talks specifically about prayer. He highlights the importance of inclining our hearts to know our Father more intimately. In essence, Jesus preaches that it’s much more important to know God than it is to make grand displays of eloquent prayers.
It’s in this section of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus models prayer for His followers (us included!) through the Lord’s Prayer:
“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’” Matthew 6:9-13 NIV
Parables Show Us How to Pray
Throughout the gospels, Jesus uses parables as a way to teach biblical truths to His disciples and the crowds who gathered to learn from Him. Parables are short stories that use everyday imagery to reveal deep spiritual truths.
While Jesus’ parables illustrate many different spiritual truths, there are a few throughout Scripture that teach specifically about prayer.
One example is found in Luke 11:1-13. Jesus shares a portion of the Lord’s Prayer in this passage and then tells a story about giving gifts. Through this story, He teaches how we can pray or ask our good, heavenly Father for whatever we need:
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10 NIV
This parable encourages us to boldly ask and faithfully expect God to answer our prayer requests in miraculous ways. And while the outcome might not always meet our expectations, we can trust that God is a good Father who holds our hearts with unwavering love and works all things together for good.
Another example of a parable where Jesus teaches about prayer is the Parable of the Persistent Widow. This story in Luke 18:1-8 highlights how we can tenaciously petition God, especially when we’re crying for justice in His world.
Jesus Practiced a Life of Prayer
Jesus embodied a life steeped in prayer. The biblical authors wrote about many times He would not only pray before meals, but also withdraw to be with His Father and pray in quiet solitude.
One of the most impactful examples of Jesus’ prayerful life was the evening before His crucifixion. Jesus, the perfect Son of God, knew He would give His life as a sacrifice for our sins. Full and complete restoration with our Father was at the front of His mind. And still, the walk to the cross wasn’t going to be easy.
In Matthew 26, we read how Jesus spent that final night:
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:36-39 NIV
Three times in that garden, Jesus pleaded with His Father in prayer, asking for another way. Luke 22 shares that while Jesus was praying earnestly, His anguish pressed so deeply that His sweat was like drops of blood—an outward echo of His inward agony.
Yet, through this time in prayer, Jesus found the courage and strength to walk on toward His trial and crucifixion.
What Did Jesus Teach About Prayer?
There are multiple accounts of Jesus teaching about prayer in the New Testament. When we examine these accounts, we see common themes in His teaching.
Here are three things Jesus teaches us about prayer.
- Pray with authenticity. God cares about your heart, and He loves you deeply. We serve a personal and purposeful Father. So when we come to Him in prayer, we can be fully ourselves; transparent and authentic. You don’t need to worry about praying the “right” words. Instead, focus on sharing personally about where you’re at, what you need, and how thankful you are for His goodness in your life.
- Pray with the right attitude. When we read how Jesus prayed in the Bible, we see a pattern of adoration, reverence, awe, thanksgiving, and praise. If we’re not careful, we can cry out to God with our needs and forget how He’s already provided in our lives. Remember, God is holy and divine, greater and more wonderful than our wildest dreams. He’s not a genie waiting to grant our wishes. So when you go to Him in prayer, position your heart with an attitude of connection with your loving Father before presenting your needs to Him.
- Pray, and keep praying. One of the most compelling reasons to bring our requests to God in prayer is that Jesus told us to. In Matthew 7, Jesus encourages us to ask and keep asking. When you feel defeated or burned out in your prayers, remember that God is always listening. And the Holy Spirit intercedes on your behalf to advocate for your requests. Keep praying and don’t give up.
Why Did Jesus Teach Us How to Pray?
All good relationships require communication and understanding. The people closest to you have probably come into your life through circumstances like school, family, work, or church. But you’ve truly gotten to know them as you’ve spent time with them.
To know God, we must spend time with Him—talking, listening, discovering, and enjoying.
Our relationship with God is similar. To know God, we must spend time with Him—talking, listening, discovering, and enjoying.
Jesus knew this was a critical way we would be formed in the image of God. Prayer is one of the best ways to know God more, and in knowing Him more, we begin to live and love like He does.
So why did Jesus teach us how to pray? He taught us how to pray so we’d be able to shape our hearts toward the things of God. The Lord’s Prayer highlights qualities like forgiveness, trust, humility, and protection. When our world feels upside down, Jesus gives us the words we need to set it right side up.
How Can We Follow Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer Today?
At times, our prayers might become stagnant and apathetic. To change this, we can choose to lean into our relationship with God, letting Him fuel our prayers and connection with Him.
Here are a few ways you can follow Jesus’ teaching on prayer:
- Make prayer a regular part of your routine. You might make a ritual of praying on your way to work, over lunch, before bed, or all of the above. If you’re starting the practice of prayer, take one small step. You might even set a reminder on your phone as you build your habit. Then, continue adding more moments throughout the day to connect with God.
- Pause to listen. Often, we can get so caught up in sharing with God that we forget the important step of pausing to listen. While it’s rare to hear the audible voice of God, He still speaks to us—by giving us His thoughts, through the words of others, through Scripture, and more. He is often speaking. The question is: Are we pausing to listen?
- Invite the Holy Spirit to guide you. Romans 8 tells us that the Holy Spirit advocates in prayer for us. If you’re not sure what to say or where to start, simply pray, “Holy Spirit, give me the words.” And then share what comes to mind. Trust that God is working and moving in the words you say to Him.
What a comfort and peace it is to know that we never pray alone! Knowing what we need, the Holy Spirit and Jesus “fill in the gaps” of our prayers, continually working in us to bring about God’s will in our lives.
Prayer is more than words; it is the heartbeat of our relationship with God. Jesus not only taught us how to pray in the Sermon on the Mount and His parables, but He also showed us how to live a life of communion with the Father through prayer.
Jesus invites us to pray with authenticity and persistence, guided by the Holy Spirit. As we follow His example, our hearts are shaped to look more like His, and our prayers become a living connection with the Father who knows us best and loves us most.