Then He was praying in a certain place, and when He stopped, one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, [just] as John taught his disciples.
And He said to them, When you pray, say: Our Father Who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come. Your will be done [held holy and revered] on earth as in heaven. Give us daily our bread [[a]food for the morrow]. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone indebted to us [who has offended us or done us wrong]. And bring us not into temptation but rescue us from evil. Luke 11:1-4
"Prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers
There is so much embedded in these few scriptures.
Observe those closest to Jesus:
The disciples didn't ask Jesus to teach them how to preach, teach, heal, discern, exegete scripture, or multiply bread and fish...
They asked Him to teach them how to pray like John taught his disciples.
See what they observed:
They saw that prayer is a difference-maker.
They knew that if Jesus prayed, then they needed to.
They had already been sent out to perform many miracles, but they knew this intimacy in prayer was missing in their lives.
It is something that can be learned.
There is a reason the disciples called Him Rabbi. They believed that He could teach them.
And Jesus still teaches us today.
Let us learn how to pray. Spend some time this week reading and meditating on the above passage from Luke.
Note to whom Jesus was speaking.
Consider how He identified them.
Notice the depth of each part and how it fits into the whole.
What keeps you from having a deep-abiding prayer life?
What do you most need to learn about praying?
What would you and others gain if you could pray as Jesus prays?
Lord Jesus, teach us to pray. Amen