Lord Teach Us to Pray: Luke 11:1-4

Have you ever wondered why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray? It seems an odd request, especially when you consider that prayer is talking to God. Do we really need someone to teach us how to talk to God? Apparently so, otherwise Jesus wouldn't have honored their request with a subject lesson.

Some traditions make prayer something great, intangible and even in a foreign language- ensuring that only the learned and scholarly can comprehend what is said. Though the simple prayer is honored by God, it can't be ignored that Jesus actually stopped, took time and taught the disciples how to pray.

Luke 11:1-4 in the King James Version states, "And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

²And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

³Give us day by day our daily bread.

⁴And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Many people stop here. They think, "Aha! I have learned how to pray and I shall pray the Lord's prayer repetitiously for the rest of my life!" But does the Lord's prayer give us a prayer or mantra that is to be repeated or is it a formula, pointing out the way to true prayer?

The Lord's prayer teaches us to whom we should pray, to whom we should praise, whose will to seek for our lives, who to turn to for our daily needs, and who to ask for forgiveness. It also provides the key to resisting temptation and evil.

When we pray we must know who we are praying to. Jesus did not direct the disciples to pray to anyone other than the Father and He showed us that when we come to the Father, we need to give him praise. God is holy, just and righteous and those who pray to Him need to be aware of his qualities and give him the honor due His name.

Jesus then points out that we are to seek God's will for our lives, to let Him lead and guide us and be the ruler of our lives, as He is the ruler in heaven. We should also take this verse literally and pray for God's kingdom to be established on earth. It is interesting to note that while God is speaking of the spiritual realm and the heavenly kingdom, He follows by speaking of the natural cares and concerns. "Thy kingdom come they will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (spiritual); Give us day by day our daily bread (physical).

Too many times Christians trade one for the other, but in Jesus' example, we are to be mindful and prayerful of both. All of our cares, wants and needs are found in Him. When we pray we can rest assured that He will provide our needs.

Repentance and forgiveness should be included in our prayers to God. We must be humble before God and man. When we pray we must be self-aware of our limitations, faults and shortcomings. We must identify sin in our lives and confess it to God. Then, we must use the same measuring rod that God uses with us and use it on others. We don't measure up to perfection, and though we follow God, we are still sinners. When we pray and ask God to forgive us of our sins, we accept and receive His forgiveness and know that we are in right standing with Him. We must then turn and give that same forgiveness to the people who have offended us. If not, we make a mockery of the love, mercy, grace and forgiveness of God.

It is interesting to note that the last part of the prayer asks God to lead us not into temptation and to deliver us from evil. Once we repent of our sins and accept God's forgiveness, we then forgive others. If we choose not to forgive, our hearts become hard and temptation and evil are lurking right around the corner.

We must repent, accept forgiveness and forgive others. Only then will we have the strength to overcome temptation and resist evil.