Conversations with God

So when do we go to him? 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. Does this mean that we should be in prayer every second of the day? No, but if we use Jesus as our model for prayer, we will see that he prayed often. In the Gospels, there are at least 38 accounts of Jesus praying at various times. Let’s just look at the Gospel according to Luke to see when and how often Jesus prayed:

Luke 3:21-22: Jesus prays in public during his baptism.

Luke 5:16: After healing the man with leprosy, he went away to a quiet place to pray.

Luke 6:12: The night before he would choose the 12 apostles the scripture tells us he prayed all night.

Luke 9:18-20: Just before asking his disciples who they thought he was, the scripture tells us that Jesus was praying in private.

Luke 9:28: This verse tells us about the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain. He was in the midst of prayer when this happened.

Luke 22:32-34: Jesus tells Simon that he prayed for his faith not to fail. This was before telling Simon that he would deny Jesus three times.

Luke 22:39-44: Before he would be arrested, he went to the Mount of Olives to pray.

Luke 23:34: While he was hanging on the cross, Jesus prayed for forgiveness for those who condemned him.

Luke 24:49-53: Just before he ascended to heaven, Jesus prayed for his disciples.