After Jesus prayed His prayer in John 17, He then went to a garden to pray again. He was just about to face the greatest crisis in His life. The Bible says: ‘Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place… He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared…and strengthened him’ (vv. 39-43 NIV). He didn’t wait until He was in the middle of the crisis to pray. He knew what was coming and chose to turn to prayer in advance. For three and a half years during His ministry on Earth, He had built a life of prayer. Before He raised Lazarus from the dead, ‘Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me…that you always hear me”’ (John 11:41-42 NIV). Jesus had such an intimate relationship with His Father that in times of pressure and pain He could go to God. We can have that too. When we spend time in prayer, we develop that relationship with God. We can turn to God as soon as we see a crisis coming and know for sure that God will help us through. Yes, prayer can be hard. It can feel like an uphill climb. But the more we pray, the more we want to pray. The power behind Jesus’ amazing success in life was the power of prayer. Starting now, let’s commit to living each day powered by prayer and an increasingly intimate relationship with our Father.

What now?

Thank God for hearing and answering your prayers, whatever that answer may be.