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.” Luke11:1
Teach us to pray
The disciples saw Jesus praying and when he finished, they asked Him to teach them to pray. Note that they didn’t say, “teach us HOW to pray.” They knew how to pray. We see that in Jesus’ response. He says, “When you pray….” They also knew they ought to pray and by their request we can see that they understood that they fell short in the discipline of prayer. They asked that he teach them “to” pray.
Most of us can echo this request today, because we don’t spend enough time in prayer. It’s not that we don’t know how to talk to God. It’s that we don’t.
In response to their request, Jesus gave them a model prayer. It is very similar to the prayer he prayed during the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-13) which today we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. But this model he gives in Luke 11 differs from that prayer.
And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. (v. 2)
Prayer is about relationship
The first thing we learn from this model is the importance of relationship found in the word “Father.” Prayer is the privilege of God’s children—those who are born again. It is necessary for us to have a relationship with God before we can really pray. If you aren’t a child of God, your only approach to God is through Jesus Christ (see John 14:6). As a child of God, our relationship opens the door to God. Our Father in heaven always hears our needs and is willing to commune and fellowship with us. He is always available through our relationship. He is our Father. It is an intimate relationship with God and prayer draws us closer. We have a Father in heaven who loves us, will listen to us, and help us. This encourages us to pray.
Hallowed be thy name
“Hallowed by Your name.” His name. This isn’t referring to his title, God, but his name. We can’t pronounce His name. It has no vowels in the Hebrew. What’s interesting is that in the Hebrew, his name is a verb that means “the becoming one.” “I am.” It is a name by which God reveals his desired relationship with you. He is willing to become to you what your need is. If you look into the namesof God used in the Old Testament, this brings a deeper understanding to how God becomes what we need. For instance, Jehovah-Raah means The Lord My Shepherd and Jehovah Rapha means The Lord that Heals. Through Jesus Christ he has become God our Savior.
As we pray, we declare His name hallowed (holy). This is one of the reasons the Jewish scribes left the vowels out of the name of God, because they thought the name so holy that people were not worthy to even say it or read it to themselves. So they made it unpronounceable. We can say that is extreme, but in our culture we’ve gone the other direction. It isn’t unusual to hear people call God, “The big guy upstairs” or similar euphemisms.
Thy kingdom come
“Your kingdom come.” In this phrase we come to the real purpose of prayer. Let me say, God didn’t intend prayer to be a negotiation to bring your kingdom to earth. But many treat it this way. They think prayer is how you get your heart’s desires. We see this in some of the formulas for prayer that promise results in getting what you want from God in this life now. This is not the purpose of prayer. God is not a genie that grants your wishes. Praying in this way reveals a person who thinks they are sovereign, rather than honoring God as sovereign. Prayer isn’t about accomplishing our will on earth. Prayer is about God’s will. It opens the door for God to do the work he desires in our hearts, which reminds me of Ps. 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” If we delight ourselves in the Lord, our desires line up with his desires.
This brings me to praying in Jesus’ name. Jesus taught his disciples to pray in his name in John 14:13–14; 15:16; 16:23–24. Many people tack the phrase "in Jesus name" onto the end of a prayer without understanding what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. Praying in Jesus name isn’t a mantra that makes prayer "work." It goes back to our relationship with God. It is through Jesus that we have our access to God in prayer. By grace, the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ and grants us entrance into the fellowship that Jesus has with His heavenly Father. Praying “in His name” means praying according to His will. Yes, we can express our desires and our will in matters of prayer but when we pray in Jesus name we submit our will to His. We don’t have to say, “In Jesus name,” we only need to pray in Jesus name--his will.In this way, you yield yourself to God’s will in prayer.
Lord, teach us to pray (Part 2)
Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions.
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