Several scriptures in the Gospel of Luke bring before us the Lord Jesus as a perfect, dependent Man in prayer. We shall consider these prayers.
"Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him." Luke 3:21, 2221Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (Luke 3:21‑22). Here the Lord had just identified Himself with the few godly Jews who acknowledged the need of repentance for the remission of sins, whether for themselves or the nation at large. Our Lord, of course, had no sins to confess, but as a godly Jew would identify Himself with these as being on the right ground. Then as He prayed, there came this direct voice from heaven, "Thou art My beloved Son; in Thee I am well pleased.”
We know that the Lord was the "only begotten Son" and none other can enter that place, but He has brought us into the position of sons before the Father. As we are in dependence and prayer before God, we enter more into the fullness of the place we have through His grace.
"He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed." Luke 5:1616And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed. (Luke 5:16). This was after the Lord had healed the leper. This is an example of prayer in connection with service. The service the Lord had for the poor leper, and in testimony to the people, was perfect. But He did not leave it there; He went to God in prayer about it. This is a voice to us. After any little service we are able to do for Him, feeble and weak as it is, do we go aside to ask His blessing upon it? All the blessing on it must come from Him.
"He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." Luke 6:1212And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. (Luke 6:12). This was before He chose His disciples. He well knew all of them would often fail to enter into His thoughts and that of one of them (Judas Iscariot) He would later say, "Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" Who can tell what it cost the holy One, the Lord Jesus, to be in association with that man during His public ministry here, well knowing what would be the end of his path.
He was in prayer with His Father all night before choosing those with whom He would be associated. The lesson for us in this is prayer in connection with our associates. The Christian is not left here to be alone. Acts speaks of "their own company" and how happy we can be to find those with whom we can walk here as with the Lord and before Him. We need to be in communion with the Father as to those with whom we are associated.
"And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering." Luke 9:2929And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. (Luke 9:29). This well-known incident of our Lord's transfiguration is recorded in three of the gospels, but it is only in Luke that we are told it was "as He prayed." We know, of course, that the Lord is seen here in His own glory, but the day is coming when we "shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." Even now, if we want to be more like Him here, the way to achieve that is to be in prayer and dependence upon God day by day. The more we are in secret communion with the Father, the more we shall be like Christ and have power to represent Him here.
"One of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray." Luke 11:11And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. (Luke 11:1). This also was "as He was praying in a certain place." It may have been that seeing the Lord engaged in prayer touched their consciences and awakened a desire in them also to pray, hence their request. And so the Lord gave them a prayer perfectly suited to their condition at that time. While commonly called the Lord's Prayer, it cannot be the expression of the Lord's own heart, nor is it in accord with the full Christian position. For example, it is not in the Lord's name as brought out in John 16:2323And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. (John 16:23), "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name.”
What does it mean to ask in His name? It does not mean as some think, just adding the name of the Lord Jesus to the end of our prayers. He is absent from the world now and we are His representatives. So the Father looks to receive from us prayers that are in accordance with the mind of Jesus. It is, as it were, asking for what He would ask for. If this is true of our petitions, the Father will delight to grant them. All kinds of petitions and requests are sometimes heard that are not of this character and then the Lord's name is added as if to give them weight. This is a very solemn thing and not at all what is meant by asking in His name. (See Phil. 4:6, 76Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6‑7).)
Note, while our Lord taught His disciples to pray and urged them to it, He did not ask them to pray for Him, nor does He pray with them.
"Men ought always to pray, and not to faint." Luke 18:11And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (Luke 18:1). You might ask how it is possible for us to be always in prayer. It is, of course, impossible for us to be always in the outward attitude of prayer. It has been likened to the way our bodies are sustained by receiving fresh air from the outside which oxygenates our lungs and is necessary to our very life. So as to our spiritual life, we should be in the atmosphere of constant dependence on God, our thoughts turning to Him habitually throughout the day. Then, if trial or difficulty comes our way, we can do some "deep breathing" by just lifting our thoughts and hearts to Him. Our hearts will then be sustained; the despondency passes away, and our strength is renewed. The Lord was always thus. He prayed always and never fainted.
"He... kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done. "Luke 22:41, 4241And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:41‑42). What the Lord had before Him was the cross into which none other than Himself could ever enter. From this we may see how very important it is for us to learn to say from our hearts, "Not my will, but Thine, be done." Unless we come to this surrender of our will to His, we have not fully learned our lesson, and there will not be the entire peace of mind that He would have us enjoy.
We have traced the blessed Master in these connections in prayer. We have to own our failures. Indeed, the broken state outwardly of the Church of God upon earth must be traced in large measure to the sad lack of this spirit of prayer in our own souls and among His people. May we learn this lesson and try more and more to "follow His steps."
F. Lavington