Prayers of Jesus
There are a number of times in which the canonical gospels describe Jesus Christ praying to God.
Recorded prayers
The gospels record words that Jesus spoke in prayer:- Thanking God for his revelation
- Before the raising of Lazarus
- "Father, glorify your name"
- His prayer in John 17
- Three prayers in the Garden of Gethsemane
- Three prayers on the cross:
- *"Father forgive them; for they know not what they do"
- *"My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
- *"Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit"
Other references to Jesus praying
Other references to Jesus praying include:- At his baptism
- Regular times of withdrawal from the crowds to pray.
- After healing people in the evening
- Before Jesus [walking on water|walking on water]
- Before Commissioning of the [Twelve Apostles|choosing the Twelve]
- Before Peter's confession
- At the Transfiguration
- Before teaching his disciples the Lord's Prayer
- Jesus says that he has prayed for Peter's faith
Variation in Jesus' prayers
When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, he did so with his face to the ground. On the other hand, in John 11:41 and 17:1, he looked upwards as he prayed.R. A. Torrey asserts that Jesus prayed early in the morning as well as all night, that he prayed both before and after the great events of his life, and that he prayed "when life was unusually busy".