Luke 11:1-4
TEACH US TO PRAY
Luke tells us about a time when Jesus was praying. His disciples were watching him and waited for him to finish praying to make a request of him. Their request was simply “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples”. Surely the disciples saw something was important about Jesus praying as well as his prayers.
We certainly need to pray for others and the world around us but Jesus teaching here concerning prayer focuses specifically on our personal relationship with the Father.
He teaches us to acknowledge God as our Father recognizing our relationship with Him as his children. He is set apart, there is no one like Him.
We are taught to pray with a longing to see Christ’s reign over the earth.
He teaches us to pray and desire that His will is obeyed first and foremost on the earth. This obedience starts with us as individuals and as the Body of Christ.
In our prayers, we are to realize our dependence on him as the source for our lives.
We are to realize that we are in a relationship with Him. We need His forgiveness within that relationship to keep fellowship and communion with Him. We also need to pray to be quick to forgive others and not harbor ill feelings when we are wronged.
We need His protection from the temptation to sin as well as from the evil one.
Jesus prayed often. He prayed at his baptism and in the wilderness before appointing his apostles, he continued all night in prayer. He also prayed before his transfiguration. He even prayed to the point of the appearance of His face being altered and His robe becoming white and glistening. The most memorable one to me was when he prayed in the garden before his crucifixion.
When I read Jesus’ teaching on prayer, I am seeing the heart of the Father. His heart’s desire is to be glorified by us, His heart’s desire is a relationship with us, His heart’s desire is our obedient hearts, His heart’s desire is for us to see Him 100% as our provider and protector and our God and our Lord.
Lord, Please Help me to make prayer more than just a part of my life.
Help me to make my life a life of prayer, like Yours was.
Luke 11:1
Luk 11:1 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples."
