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Have you ever asked yourself why Jesus prayed? I mean, He is Jesus, the Word made flesh. Why would He pray? Is it possible that Jesus needed to pray in order to hear the Father? Did Jesus need undistracted moments in which to hear God and receive revelation for His ministry?
Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does.” John 5:19-20
The vision, direction and faith for Jesus’ ministry were born in His times of prayer and communion with the Father. He goes so far as to say that He could do nothing of Himself! That may seem hard for us to comprehend, but His ability to heal, cast out demons, still storms, multiply food and raise the dead was a result of “hearing” the Father or “seeing” what the Father was doing. It was revelation knowledge. Jesus declared that we would also be limited to our relationship with Him.
“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
It should come as no surprise that we are working with the same resources Jesus had. He could only do what He received from the Father, and we can only bring forth the fruit of redemption if we abide in Him. Our Christian life is not all mental. If hearing the Father was so vitally important to Jesus, shouldn’t it be important to us as well?
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27) .
This kind of hearing is revelation. This kind of seeing is revelation. It is the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit.
The quickening of the Word to our inner man produces spiritual understanding and the faith to receive whatever God has promised.
The author is a senior Instructor at Charis Bible College, Colorado.
