Jump Start # 1119

Luke 11:1 “It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

Lord, teach us. The apostles had the true heart of a disciple. They wanted to know. They wanted to learn. The question about prayer came after Jesus prayed. I’m sure they were amazed at the way Jesus prayed. I’m sure they wished that they could pray like that.

“Teach us to pray” is an interesting expression. First, it comes from the apostles who grew up going to the Temple and hearing priests and their own dads pray. They had been praying most of their life. This question was beyond the basics of prayer. It involved more than “Who do you pray to,” reverence in prayer—they had that. This was things that they were taught as young boys. Some need to know that. Some have never learned. Some were taught that it’s ok to pray to dead saints and to Mary. They need to see that was never done in the Bible. Only God is prayed to. There are some “mechanics” and basics to prayer that everyone must begin with.

“Teach us to pray” involved not so much “How” to pray, but “to” pray. Jesus was praying often. He prayed before selecting the apostles. He prayed before He healed. He prayed in the garden. He prayed on the cross. He was a man of prayer. He referred to the Temple as the “house of prayer.” Praying was a huge part of Jesus life. A few pages later in Luke, Jesus would tell the disciples to pray at all times and not to lose heart. The key was prayer. We sing a hymn that asks, “Did you think to pray?” If we are honest, the answer sometimes, maybe most times, is no, I forgot to pray. I worried. I got upset. I became bothered. I was stressed. I got angry. I lost sleep. I couldn’t eat. I talked to my friends about it. I did everything except pray. Jesus wasn’t like that. Prayer was His first choice. Prayer was as natural as breathing.

This is the heart at what the disciples were asking. How do you do that? How do you know to pray? How do you pray first? Prayer, faith and remaining calm go together. Prayer and faith involve trust. That trust leads to peace within. The more one prays the greater their faith and the greater they are at peace.

How Jesus answered the disciples question is as interesting as their question. He gave them an example of a prayer. Most call this the Lord’s prayer. There is no indication that He actually prayed this—there is a line that He would not have said Himself. I not a huge fan of borrowing someone else’s prayer. Many books I read often have a prayer by the author. That’s nice, but it doesn’t do much for me. Pray must be personal, genuine, heartfelt and relevant. Your prayer will not be my prayer. We may pray about the same thing but not the same way.

Jesus is showing the disciples a prayer. It’s a prayer that recognizes and praises God. It is prayer that deals with physical things, such as daily bread, and spiritual things, such as forgiveness. It is so simple that this prayer fits today as well as in the first century. It’s a prayer that works on a Monday as well as a Saturday. It is a brief prayer. The words are simple. The thoughts are reverent.

Choose prayer. Choose prayer before you speak. Choose prayer before you make a decision. Choose prayer when you are bothered. Prayer invites God into your world, your life and your heart. Prayer reminds you to consider the spiritual side of things. Something may look good on paper, and everyone can give you a thumbs up to what you are planning, but praying about it now makes you consider the spiritual side. Then and there things may look differently. What was great on paper may not be the best choice when you look at it from the spiritual side. Praying often helps us to see that side.

Prayer also has a way to reminding us that we belong to God and we are accountable to God. We are not alone, nor are we free to do whatever we feel like. Choices come with consequences. Prayer reminds us of God. We shall stand before God some day. Remembering God helps keep our attitudes in check. Prayer helps us to remember that God’s will always trumps my will. God has a plan. I must fit into His plan and not believe that God is working to fit into my plan. What I believe may be Plan A may actually not be God’s Plan A. Paul wanted to preach in Asia. God said NO. After that, he went to Macedonia. That was God’s plan. Similar things may happen to us.

Teach us to pray. This is done by looking at Jesus. This is done by seeing how He followed the will of His Father. Prayer, faith and obedience worked well with Jesus and they will work well with us when we are taught.

Pray. Pray often. Pray deeply. Pray about others. Pray and believe.

Roger