THE LORD IN THE CRISES OF LIFE

It is well known that it is Luke of the Gospel writers who draws attention to the prayer life of the Lord Jesus: there are eleven references, nine of which are peculiar to Luke, including the one here. Here indeed is the perfectly dependent man.

In all the crises, significant moments and major decisions of His life, we find the Lord prayed: His baptism; the choosing of the twelve; the transfiguration; Gethsemane; the crucifixion. His praying here clearly demonstrates a spirit of submission and dependence on God right at the beginning of His public ministry. This needs to be emphasized today; it is not self-assertion, self-esteem, and independence that God values in men and women, but a submissive spirit, an obedient heart, meekness, and gentleness.

Here is the first official view of its Messiah by Israel - a praying man, to whom ‘the heaven was opened’, v. 21.

He did not confess sins as did the others being baptized, Matt. 3. 6, but He prayed as the others did. Here is Israel’s Messiah being set forth publicly, and is the Lord’s prayer a renewing of His commitment to the will and purposes of God? As the cross was ever before Him, especially during His years of ministry, were certain scriptures also ever before Him, in particular perhaps some of the psalms? Psalm 40 verses 7 and 8 may often have been on His mind, even at the time of His baptism, ‘Lo, I come to do thy will, O my God’. His baptism was a major step on the road to Calvary and the declaration of John also clearly affirms this: ‘Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world’, John 1. 29. In between the two would come the fulfilling of verses 9 and 10 of the psalm; the preaching of righteousness; the declaring of God’s faithfulness and his salvation, not concealing of God’s loving-kindness and truth from the great congregation. All of these are very clearly exhibited in the Gospel narratives.

The response from heaven, v. 22, shows that God heard the prayer of His Son. Whenever He prayed, He was heard. In Hebrews we read that He was heard in ‘that he feared’, 5. 7. True, godly reverence characterized Him.

In this, as in all things, He is our example.