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Prayer is at the heart of the Christian life—it is how we commune and align ourselves with God. Jesus not only taught about prayer but lived it out consistently, showing that it wasn’t confined to rituals or religious spaces. By looking at where Jesus prayed, we gain both inspiration and instruction for our own walk with God.

And Jesus expects you to pray. Several times he said to his disciples, “When you pray” (Matthew 6:5; Luke 11:2). For him, prayer is not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’. Every Christian needs to have fixed times of prayer when they commune with God. That would also mean that you have fixed places where you usually pray. It was on their way to the temple “at the time of prayer” that Peter and John met and healed the cripple at the Beautiful gate (Acts 3:1). Jesus exemplified this in his prayer life while here on earth. The Mount of Olives was a favourite spot of his for prayer (Luke 21:37; 22:39).

But communion with God cannot be restricted to those specific times set aside for prayer. While set times should be the discipline that forms part of the Christian life, the ears of the Father are always open to hear from his children. The believer has to take advantage of that privilege and spontaneously keep the communication lines open to heaven. That, I believe, also complies with the instruction to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

NOT ONLY ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Jesus also didn’t pray exclusively on the Mount of Olives. In several instances, sometimes not explicitly recorded, he prayed. That holds lessons for our prayer lives too—namely, that while we should have our own ‘Mount of Olives’ where we commune regularly and formally with God, every inch of territory can become holy ground where we make quick calls to heaven in prayer. After all, the whole earth belongs to God, and there is no space that is out of bounds to him. What makes a ground holy is the presence of the Holiest, and we have the privilege of cooperating with him to make that happen. The same ordinary ground where Moses had pastured his father-in-law’s flock suddenly turned to “holy ground” when the Holiest showed up (Exodus 3:1-5).

Let every space become holy ground as you live out the call to ‘pray continually’.

JESUS’ VARYING PRAYER SITES

What I intend to show here is simply the various places where Jesus prayed. The diversity of the sites and times are examples for us to follow, as is every other part of the Begotten’s life.

PRIVATE PRAYER IN SOLITUDE (DESERT, REMOTE PLACES, MOUNTAIN)

Beyond the Mount of Olives, Jesus found prayerful solitude in even more unlikely places—starting with the desert.

IN THE DESERT. Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” – Matthew 4:1-2.

Before he began his ministry, Jesus was led by the Spirit to the place of prayer and it was in the desert. Deserts can be holy grounds for prayer. The isolation from human distractions would have done him no small good in allowing him to focus on the Father. Later in life, some of such attempts at isolation were interrupted by crowds of people but here, it was invaluable.

IN REMOTE PLACES. “And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves.” – Matthew 14:19.

This followed the murder of Jesus’ cousin, John the Baptist. On hearing the news, Jesus withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. The crowds soon interrupted this quiet moment and when evening came, Jesus shut down his disciples’ suggestion to send the crowds away to fend for themselves. He prayed over the five loaves and two fish and the crowd had their fill with twelve basketfuls of left overs gathered. In places where there might be no electricity, no telephone signals and no internet, God can still be reached through prayer.

In places where there might be no electricity, no telephone signals and no internet, God can still be reached through prayer.

ON THE MOUNTAIN. “Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray.” – Mark 6:45-46.

“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.” – Luke 6:12.

The deliberateness in dismissing the crowd is noteworthy. After that, he chose the mountainside as the venue for prayer. Others may seek to conquer Everest for the sake of fame; for Jesus, mountainsides weren’t just for climbing or scaling peaks but places for communion with God. The places where others seek temporal rewards can be the places where you seek the eternal in prayer.

PRAYER IN THE MIDST OF PAIN (GETHSEMANE, THE CROSS)

IN THE GARDEN. “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” – Matthew 26:36.

Gethsemane is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem where olive oil production took place. As a garden, I imagine it must have provided some level of comfort that allowed the disciples to doze off when asked to pray. Jesus turned a garden and an oil press into a place of prayer. That same place where others go to sleep or to produce oil for commercial or other purposes became a holy ground for prayers that prepared him for the cross.

The same places where others are relaxing or focusing only on money can become the place where you make destiny-defining prayers. That’s what Jesus showed us here. That office with its air-conditioned work stations, where people are lulled into sleep and where they labour for the own ‘olive oil’ that can be monetized, can be your own holy ground.

The same places where others are relaxing or focusing only on money can become the place where you make destiny-defining prayers.

ON THE CROSS. “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’” – Luke 23: 34

“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” – Luke 23:46

“And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” —which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Mark 15:34.

In the most excruciating of circumstances, Jesus turned the cross into a place for prayer. The first was not even a prayer for himself but for the forgiveness of those who put him there and those who mocked him. He cried in prayer and entrusted his spirit into the Father’s hands. That place of terrible suffering, perhaps a sick bed or any form of incarceration and confinement, can be a place for prayer. That is the example of Christ.

EVERYDAY PRAYER (A CERTAIN PLACE)

A CERTAIN PLACE. “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.” – Luke 11:1.

I love this verse because it feels like a blank cheque: “a certain place” is anywhere, no restrictions. Anywhere I want to talk to the Father, I can. In the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the classroom, in the library, in the cinema, in the market, on the toilet seat, while taking a walk or jogging, while on a plane or train or bus or bike (commuting to or from work or school), in a traffic jam, while waiting to honour an appointment. Every and any certain place can be a prayer spot. While I should have fixed times and places for prayer, I do not have to be limited to those. I can reach the Father from anywhere and at any time.

Jesus also spoke to his Father in all kinds of circumstances and places. On the dinner table, during the meal that we call The Last Supper, he prayed (Matthew 26:26-29); before Lazarus’ tomb where he later called him back to life, he prayed (John 11:41-44). Imitate him.

The earth and the fulness thereof belong to our Father, so anywhere can be a place to speak with him.

Paul and his companions knew this: “On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer” (Acts 16:13). They went to the river in search of a place. Rivers and their surroundings can be places of prayer. The earth and the fulness thereof belong to our Father so anywhere can be a place to speak with him.

A CALL TO ACTION

From the solitude of the desert to the agony of the cross, Jesus demonstrated that prayer can happen anywhere, at any time. He turned ordinary and even painful places into sacred spaces through communion with the Father. As his follower, you are invited to do the same—whether in quiet corners or chaotic crowds, in fixed places or spontaneous moments. Let every space become holy ground as you live out the call to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

From the solitude of the desert to the agony of the cross, Jesus demonstrated that prayer can happen anywhere, at any time.

Two words of caution: Firstly, this must not replace your own ‘Mount of Olives’. Secondly, it doesn’t have to be a noisy show of prayer. Like Jesus said, you would have received your reward in full by such showmanship—and it won’t be from the Father. He can hear the very words of your heart so keep it quiet in public places.

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