In prayer we, with varied and different backgrounds, stand together in Christ at the throne of God. And the cause of our prayer is the extension of His kingdom.
In Luke chapter eleven the disciples watched Jesus finish up His prayer time. Upon the conclusion one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
In Luke chapter eleven the disciples watched Jesus finish up His prayer time. Upon the conclusion one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”
In my reading of the gospels, it seems that prayer is characteristic of those who are maturing in Christ. Prayer characterizes the heart of the disciple. Paul asks disciples of Jesus to pray. As the faith was being spread and as congregations were being established, prayer was essential for the protection of the message and the reception of God’s grace.
For Jesus, prayer was as natural and essential an activity as was eating and breathing. Even the disciples of John were taught by John to pray. I wonder if John was a little more forward than Jesus in this regard. Jesus did indeed model prayer as He went away to lonely places. Later in His ministry, after teaching on prayer had taken place, Jesus asked His disciples to watch and pray. They tripped up on that request at that point in time. Then at a later point in time, by faith, they prayed again. Still, it is curious to me that Jesus did not sit His disciples down during those years and initiate the conversation saying, “You need to know how to pray!” He would wait for at least one of them to make the request, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Is that a request you would make? If so, spend time with Luke 11:1-13.
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