LEARN TO PRAY
LEARN TO PRAY
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, land when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say” “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” —Luke 11:1-4
Prayer is taught much like a little child is taught how to speak. After Jesus was observed praying, his disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. They understood that “John taught his disciples” how to pray and now they wanted to learn as well. Here’s how Jesus responded. “When you pray, say…”
- Our Father— God is the Father of every disciple of Jesus. Let us remember this! It matters not what denomination a person may be of or their cultural, national or racial background. If a person is following Jesus, we all have the same Father.
- In heaven— God is not a part of creation. He is where Jesus came from and where Jesus went back to. This is where we are going as well to be with Jesus in that glorious, perfect place forever. Rejoice!
- Hallowed be your name— Our Father’s very Name is holy. The character of someone is tied to their name. God’s character is holy and so, therefore, His very name is holy!
- Your kingdom come— He is King which makes His followers servants. It is His kingdom, but praise His name that we, as followers of Jesus, are part of that kingdom. What a glorious day when all that is evil will be weeded out of His kingdom and that all things will be as they were meant to be… perfect! Only righteousness, peace and joy will reign there.
- Your will be done— God’s will is of utmost importance for the followers of Jesus to obey. Those who truly love Him will desire to do what He desires. Followers of Jesus will desire to do His will over their own will. Yes, Dear Father, may this be so!
- On earth as it is in heaven— What a wonderful day that will be when His will is done perfectly as it is in heaven now. But, until then, may we seek to be faithful to His will now. Yes, may this be so!
- Give us this day our daily bread— Let us pray that He gives us only what we need to eat on a particular day. Let us eat only what is needed for the day. This reminds me of when they collected manna in the wilderness. They only collected what was needed for the day.
- Forgive our debts as we have forgiven our debtors— Here we are asking our Father to forgive us in the same way that we forgive others. If we do not forgive others when they sin against us, then we are actually asking our Father not to forgive us. But, if we forgive others when they sin against us, then our Father will forgive us. So, let us be quick to forgive and quick to ask for forgiveness!
- Lead us not into temptation— Our Father knows the areas where we will be tempted and so we are asking Him not to lead us in those areas. Oh, that we would desire not to be tempted and to flee temptation when we are tempted. May it be so!
- Deliver us from the evil one— Satan is the one that seeks to tempt us to sin and he will use every scheme he can to tempt us. Let us be quick to call on our Father to deliver us from the evil one’s schemes. —-Matthew 6:4-13
The disciples of Jesus had a desire to pray. They wanted to know how to talk to their Father and so should we! When asked how to pray, after observing Jeus, what is listed above is what He taught them. These are areas of prayer— Acknowledging who God is, understanding where He is, agreeing with His holiness, agreeing that it is His kingdom, wanting to do His will like it is in heaven and one day it will perfectly be done, acknowledging He gives our daily needs, agreeing to forgive as He has forgiven us, asking His help from temptation and His deliverance from the evil one. So, let us pray as Jesus taught His followers to pray. Yes, Dear Father, may this be so through the guidance of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus.