Yeshua (Jesus) often taught about prayer. More than that, He prayed. To my count the gospels record 15 instances of Yeshua praying. They are best recorded in the book of Luke. The 15 instances could be divided into three groups: 1) personal preparation, 2) discipleship training, and 3) before and during the crucifixion.

Personal Preparation

1. Luke 3:21 – After baptism, Yeshua prays and Holy Spirit descends on Him in form of dove. He hears voice speaking of God's love.
2. Luke 4:1 – Yeshua is led into desert, where He fasts and prays 40 days, being tempted by the devil.
3. Luke 4:42; Mark 1:35 – Early morning before dawn, Yeshua's habit was to rise and pray while others slept.
4. Luke 5:17 – Yeshua prays to receive anointing to teach word of God, forgive sins and heal the sick.
5. Luke 9:32; Matthew 17:21 – Yeshua heals and casts out demon from an epileptic, saying, "This kind goes out only by prayer and fasting."

Yeshua's daily discipline of praying to receive the Holy Spirit's direction and revelation in His own life should encourage us to develop a personal prayer habit in our lives as well.

Discipleship Training

6. Luke 6:12 – Yeshua prays all night to get the discernment to call and appoint his disciples into their service.
7. Luke 9:18; Matthew 16:13 – Yeshua prays for His disciples to have revelation of who He is and to be able to hear from God for themselves.
8. Luke 9:28 – Yeshua prays and is transformed, revealing to His disciples the source of power and glory
9. Luke 10:2 – Yeshua prays to send out workers into the harvest
10. Luke 11:1; Mathew 6:10 – Yeshua prays and shows His disciples how to pray for the coming of God's kingdom and for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

I am particularly interested in these prayers of Yeshua for His disciples. Through His prayers He brought them to Him. He discerned what their callings were. He prayed for them to have revelation knowledge. (I believe the apostle Paul [Saul] was thinking about Yeshua's prayer in Luke 9 and Matthew 16 when he wrote the prayer of Ephesians 1 for us to have revelation knowledge of who Yeshua is [verse 17] and who we are in Him [verse 18].)

During the three or four years that Yeshua was with His disciples, He formed their character through much prayer. He prayed for them and with them. Yeshua is still praying for us today to be formed into His image and receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33; Romans 8:34; Galatians 4:19; Hebrews 7:25).

Before and During Crucifixion

11. Luke 22:40; Matthew 26:38 – In Gethsemane, Yeshua prays under great stress that God's will be done, not His.
12. John 17:1 – Yeshua prays as High Priest for His disciples and the future international Church to be one with God, united, glorified, filled with holiness, and evangelizing the world.
13. Matthew 27:46 – Yeshua cries out to God, citing Psalm 22, "My God, why have you forsaken Me."
14. Luke 23:34 – Yeshua prays to forgive all, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
15. Luke 23:46 - Yeshua dedicates Himself totally with the last prayer of "Father, in Your hand I commit My spirit."

The crucifixion is the final act of intercession on our behalf, and His final act of obedience to the Father. Yeshua dedicated His life to sacrificial love and obedience.  The cross serves as the perfect model for us to walk in intercessory prayer as well.

Chilean Miners

We along with the rest of the world rejoice in the rescue of the Chilean miners.

In a television interview with CNN, rescued miner Mario Sepulveda said, "I was with God, and I was with the devil. They fought, and God won."  Sepulveda said he grabbed God's hand and never doubted that he would be rescued.

In an interview with the LA Times, Mauricio Pino, the engineer who led the rescue efforts, described how he fell on his knees to pray when the made the first contact with the miners, on August 22, after 17 days of failure. He also described how during all the rescue efforts, he was also suffering from personal challenges. His daughter Daniela was injured severely in a traffic accident. The 24 hour a day efforts placed his marriage in jeopardy, and he even missed the ceremony of renewing their wedding vows, scheduled for the 28^th of August. That was the price of dedication to rescue 33 lives. 

Our friend Francis Frangipane, writes; "These tough men emerged from their deep pit praising Jesus Christ. Cameras from around the world brought us scenes of crying men, many kneeling, praying, and thanking God. There is a message in all this: no matter how deep or dark the pit, if you call on Christ He will find you and set you free.

These miners had written on the back of their jackets Psalm 95:4, In whose hand are the depths of the earth. His hand reaches into the depths of the earth; He can reach also to you.” See www.frangipane.org

Ahmadinejad in Lebanon

Iranian President Ahmadinejad visited Bint J'bal in southern Lebanon, just six (6) kilometers from the Israeli border, in a clear attempt of provocation. Speaking to a crowd of thousands, he reiterated his call for Israel to "disappear" from the map. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu firmly stated that it is not Israel who will disappear, but those who call for our destruction.

Meanwhile, Israeli and international press report that there was an explosion at the Khoramabad military base in Iran. Many of the Shihab 3 missiles, with potential range of 1,300 kilometers, (enough to be fired at Israel) were destroyed. Eighteen officers in the Iranian "revolutionary guard" were killed and many more injured. Iranian authorities are furious that the story was "leaked" to the press.