Teach Us To Pray
Luke 11:1-4 (NIV)
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.' He said to them, 'When you pray, say: "Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation."'
Prayer is a complex subject, not easily explained. We only understand in part what it is and how it 'works'. We’re all on a journey and at different stages of our prayer life. In the gospels we see Jesus teaching his disciples and on this recorded occasion they ask for him to 'Teach us to pray.'
Jesus' response sets the standard high in discipleship and greatly impacts our Christian experience: it is known all over the world as the Lord’s Prayer. We might have liked Jesus’ disciples to press for further explanation, but he knew this was the perfect model for us to ponder and learn from.
Pete Greig writes: 'Everyone prays. Even non-Christians pray. The difference when Christians do it is that they are climbing into the lap of their heavenly Father.'
Sometimes we’re not quite sure if we are doing it right. Sometimes we are caught up in the trap of comparison, thinking we’re not doing a great job compared with other people's praying. Other times we pray and it doesn’t seem like it’s working. Jesus answers prayers. We come to him because we know he does answer prayer. Psalm 65:2: 'You who answer prayer, to you all people will come'.
If at present you are struggling on this journey of prayer, perhaps the problem is not so much belief that your prayers will go unanswered, but rather that you are uncertain, like the disciples, as to how you should pray. You need a teacher!
In the passage we see Jesus graciously responding to his disciples request to teach them to pray. So today, fellow disciples, wherever you are in your Christian walk, can you imagine how Jesus would respond if you ask him now: 'Teach me to pray?' Yes, you can. Ask him!
Prayer: Jesus, teach me to pray.