Jesus Prays

I have just stumbled upon a passage in the scripture of John in which we get a glimpse of Jesus in an intimate prayer with His Father.  There is something about Jesus' prayer here that draws my attention.  Of course Jesus prayed throughout His life and ministry on earth, of that I'm sure.  So why does this draw me so?  

Do you have someone you speak to regularly, draw encouragement and strength from, and to whom you confide in in an intimate capacity?  I have three of these confidants--my cousin, Ally, my mom, and my husband.  When I speak to these people I rarely invite someone else into the conversation, nor do I discuss the issue outside of our conversation.  

Of course I believe Jesus prayed actively and often throughout His life and ministry on this earth, but I always imagined His praying as a sort of intimate conversation between father and son (much like my talks with my mom).  So what makes this instance any different?  

One of the most known prayers of Jesus to His Father, I think, would be in the garden of Gethsemane before His arrest in which he pleads "Oh, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26)  He prays that prayer 3 times while trying to take comfort in his Father's presence through prayer, as well as His disciples' support (but they keep falling asleep).  This prayer is a desperate one between a Father and a Son.  Jesus knows His Father holds all authority, but when I read this prayer I think of a time when I may have called my mom up, tears streaming down my face, trying to come up with the words to identify my pain.  Jesus' prayer here is short and distressed, but His Father knows His heart.  This is the kind of prayer I had always pictured Jesus praying, until I found this one in John.

According to the gospel of Matthew this is the last prayer Jesus prayed before His arrest.  It isn't recorded in John, though.  In John we get a different picture of Jesus.  I tend to think the prayer of John 17 came before that of Matthew, because the disciples are with Jesus, awake.  In this prayer, in public (or in the presence of the disciples), Jesus takes on a different ere, one of authority, in which he prays for Himself, His disciples, and His Church.  I think what draws me to John 17 so is the passionate love Jesus shows through His prayer.  Remember, this is one of Jesus' last prayers to His Father before His arrest.  He could be asking right then, "let this cup pass," but instead He prays for glorification--not for Himself, but so that God can be glorified through Him; He prays for the disciples--that they may be one, made perfect, that they may have Jesus' joy, that they will be kept from evil, that they be sanctified, and that they may be with Him in glory, and that they may have the love in them that God has for them.  Really, the fact that God's final words are of love for His people and His church blows me away.  I shouldn't be surprised, though.  God is love, and Jesus is God in the flesh.  Also, it's not just any prayer--not just a conversation between a father and a son.  Jesus is taking on an ere of authority in this prayer.  He has the power to pray on behalf of these people He loves so much and He knows His Father has the power to see it through.  

This is how I want to pray.  I can pray for myself, sometimes even beg God to do things my way (and a lot of times I do), but I hope that when the time comes that I have little time on earth I spend my prayers to pray for those I love.  Jesus spent verse after verse in John 17 praying for others.  He prayed a short prayer of personal anguish and need in Matthew, but the majority of His words were for others.  

I have to make it a personal goal to remember this.  When I pray I don't want it to be repetitive requests for myself (although sometimes I do need to pray for myself), but prayers for others.  From talking to my mom about her prayer life and just observing how she prays I have come to realize that prayers are more powerful when you're praying for others.  I know I personally want to have a powerful prayer life, so that I can have those intimate, personal moments with God as well as interceding on behalf of others.