Jesus' Prayerful Example: Nurturing a Deep Connection with the Holy Trinity

Doug Blanchard’s gay Passion of Christ series Source: qspirit.net

Jesus prayed fervently throughout his life, despite being God made man. He prayed to maintain a connection with the Father and the Holy Spirit and set an example for his followers. In our Gospel reading, we see Jesus praying on the night before his death. 

He prays for God's glory to be revealed through him and values those who believe in him as a gift from God. Jesus prays for the protection and unity of his followers, calling them to be drawn into the deep relationship of love that exists within the Trinity. He desires for us to have an abiding connection to him and the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus demonstrated the importance of prayer throughout his life, even in his final hours with his disciples. 

We find in the Gospel what Jesus prayed, but we should also notice that Jesus prayed. His life is soon to end. He is in the last hours with his disciples. Rather than fitting in an all-night cram session to get the last bit of theological information into his disciples’ heads, Jesus pauses and prays. If you ever wonder what would Jesus do, the primary answer is that Jesus would pray. How much more should we first and foremost pray in all the chances and changes that life sends our way?

God will honor the arrow prayers you shoot heavenward in times of need, but you will find yourself more fully connected to God if you set aside routine times to pray. The pattern for Our Church is found in the brief Morning and Evening Prayer liturgies in the A prayer book for Australia or you can access them by downloading epray. Making daily times for these prayers will not earn God’s favor; you already have been given that grace freely. Instead, the daily times of prayer will ground your day in connection to the Holy Trinity.

This was Jesus’ will for you. Jesus wanted you to find and nurture that deep, abiding connection to God. Jesus wanted it so much that he prayed for you to get that sort of relationship and then he trusted his Father in heaven to enable it to happen. Your answer to Jesus’ prayer is found when you make time to pray, and so grow closer to the God who knows you fully and loves you completely. Thanks be to God.