Why Did Jesus Need to Pray?
Religions that don't believe in the divinity of Christ often cite His habit of praying to prove their point. Their argument is centered on the question, "If Jesus is God, why did He have to pray?" They rely on their limited understanding while disregarding the verses that declare Jesus' godship.
It is common knowledge that prayer is a form of communication. As the Son of God, it was just normal for Jesus to talk to His Father on a regular basis, and prayer is the best way to do this. Remember that Jesus took the form of man (Philippians 2:6–8) and as such, His communication to God is through prayer.
By praying, Jesus set Himself as an example to His followers. If God the Son possesses an active prayer life, much more we, as mere mortals, should seek the Father. The Bible says Jesus had to be made like His brothers in every respect (Hebrews 2:17). What better way could this be demonstrated than prayer.
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Christians can learn four things by observing Jesus' example of praying. First is obedience. The Bible tells us to pray unceasingly (1 Thessalonians 5:17) which Jesus placed great emphasis on. Samuel said that obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). This is because apart from worshipping and loving God, the greatest instruction for Christians is obedience. The instruction is so great that even Jesus had to live by it just like a servant (Philippians 2:7) to the extent of suffering for it (Hebrews 5:8).
The second characteristic we can learn from Jesus' praying is humility. Unlike some men who abuse their status as privileged scions, Jesus maintained His humbleness and followed the mandate set by His Father.
Christ's other traits that can be learned from are His dependence to the Father and submission to His will (John 5:30).
