Day 10 of 14
Jesus' Prayer Life: Gethsemane and Intercession
The Son of God at Prayer
Scripture Readings
Today's Reading
Read Luke 22:39-46. In the garden of Gethsemane, on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus prays with an intensity unlike anything else in the Gospels. "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." Luke tells us that an angel appeared to strengthen Him, and that "being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground." Then read John 17:20-24, from Jesus' High Priestly Prayer at the Last Supper: "I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one."
Reflection
If we want to understand prayer, we must watch Jesus pray. Mark 1:35 tells us that Jesus rose early, while it was still dark, and went to a desolate place to pray. Luke 6:12 records that before choosing the twelve apostles, Jesus spent the entire night in prayer. Prayer was not an occasional practice for Jesus. It was the rhythm of His life.
Spurgeon challenged his students with this reality: if the Son of God, who was perfectly holy and perfectly united with the Father, felt the need to pray -- and to pray for entire nights -- what excuse do we have for our prayerlessness? Jesus' prayer life is both a model and a rebuke.
Gethsemane takes us to the deepest place in Jesus' prayer life. He is facing the cross -- not just physical agony but the full weight of human sin. He asks the Father to remove the cup. This is not a scripted prayer. It is an agonized plea. Jesus does not pretend to want the cross. He asks for another way. And when no other way is given, He surrenders: "Not my will, but yours, be done."
Keller insists that Gethsemane is the ultimate model of prayer. Jesus does not pray for deliverance in a way that avoids the Father's will. He prays into the suffering, through the anguish, all the way to surrender. This is not passive resignation. It is active trust. Jesus chooses the Father's will -- not because it is easy but because the Father is trustworthy.
John 17 reveals another dimension of Jesus' prayer life: intercession. On the night He is betrayed, Jesus prays not for Himself but for His disciples -- and then, remarkably, for "those who will believe in me through their word" (17:20). That means Jesus prayed for you. Before He went to the cross, He lifted you before the Father. His prayer was for unity, for glory, and for love -- "that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them" (17:26).
Going Deeper
Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane teaches us that honest prayer includes both asking and surrendering. You can tell God what you want. You can ask Him to remove the cup. But the final word of prayer is always "your will be done." Today, bring your deepest desire before God. Then open your hands and trust the Father with the answer.
Key Quotes
“In Gethsemane, Jesus does not pray for deliverance from suffering in a way that avoids the will of the Father. He prays into the suffering, through the anguish, all the way to 'not my will, but yours, be done.' This is the ultimate model of prayer.”
“If the Son of God felt the need to pray, how much more should we? If he who was perfectly holy spent whole nights in prayer, what excuse do we have for our prayerlessness?”
Prayer Focus
Pray Jesus' Gethsemane prayer for yourself: 'Not my will, but yours, be done.' Identify one area where you need to surrender your will to the Father's.
Meditation
In John 17, Jesus prays for you -- for all who would believe through the apostles' message. Sit with the fact that the Son of God interceded for you by name before He went to the cross. How does that change your sense of being known and loved?
Question for Discussion
Jesus prayed, 'Not my will, but yours, be done' in a moment of intense anguish. How is this different from passive resignation, and what does genuine surrender to God's will actually look like in practice?