Jesus always prayed. Throughout his public ministry, he prayed. Even as Jesus was being baptized, he prayed. As recorded in Luke 3:21 (GNT): “After all the people had been baptized, Jesus also was baptized. While he was praying heaven was opened.” We also know that Jesus prayed in lonely places. He got up early to pray and he prayed through the night. That’s how important prayer was to him.

But why did Jesus pray?

It is likely that Jesus prayed in keeping with the Jewish tradition of praying every day. We see this in the life of Daniel, who prayed three times a day even in Babylonian captivity (Daniel 6:10). It was also common practice to meditate on the Book of the Law, day and night.

Jesus also prayed to illustrate his relationship with the Father and to model for us a pathway to greater intimacy with God. Being fully human, Jesus prayed to be in complete submission to the Father as he walked in obedience to God’s will. And when we pray according to Scripture, we can be sure that our prayers align with God’s will and draw us closer to him.

In this episode of the Prayer Snapshot, we reflect on Psalm 27 then use the psalm to pray for greater connection to God. Join us as we pray this beautiful Psalm.