“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12)

It’s no wonder Jesus, in times of great decisions and trial, spent all night in prayer. The night before He was to be crucified, He told His disciples “watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation” (Mark 14:38). They fell asleep and gave in to temptation when it came, but Jesus was prepared to endure more suffering than any man would ever experience, and He accomplished His Father’s will.

If there was ever a man who you’d think didn’t need to pray, it would be our Lord. As a man, He was “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners”, and didn’t have to  repent as we do (Hebrews 7:26). But prayer is essential for intimacy with God.

Jesus loved His Father enough to seek constant communion with Him. The same should be true for us. The first great commandment Jesus gave us was to love God “with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). To do this, we’re told to “pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18).
 
Jesus loved us enough to constantly intercede for us. “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word” (John 17:20). He told us to love the unlovable: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies … pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44).

And Jesus still intercedes for us. “We have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God … Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16).

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