One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke 11:1-4)
Why did one of his disciples ask Jesus how to pray? One reason, right at the start of this passage, is rarely mentioned. This is the only reference we have about John the Baptist teaching his disciples to pray. But the disciple who asked the question had obviously seen, or experienced, this happening and was reminded of it when he saw Jesus praying. Could it have been Andrew, named as one of two of John's disciples in John 1:35, 40, who subsequently not only followed Jesus but also brought his brother Simon Peter along as well?
Do our prayer lives inspire others to pray?
The disciple was also inspired by watching Jesus pray. Jesus was in a “certain place” but obviously within sight, and maybe sound, of the disciples. What was it about how Jesus was praying that prompted the spontaneous request to teach them to pray? Was he standing with his hands raised? Kneeling? Lying prostrate on the ground? Was he crying out to his Father or praying silently? Were his eyes open or closed? We don't know, but it was a powerful enough experience for this disciple to want to know how to do it for themselves. His praying inspired them to want to pray. The question that I pose is – do our prayer lives inspire others to pray?
The prayer Jesus taught them we now know as the Lord's prayer, but this was not necessarily the first time they had heard it. It may be that Jesus had already taught it on a different occasion – in the middle of his so-called Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:9-13, but at that time it had not impacted them at all. It took one of the occasions when they were alone with Jesus to see and realise there was something special and powerful about his action of praying.
What is prayer?
“Prayer is the simplest act in a religion - IT IS SIMPLY TALKING TO GOD. It needs nothing but the heart and will.” (J C Ryall)
E M Bounds described it as “the contact of a living being with God.”
Why should we pray?
Because Jesus was a man of prayer. We can learn so much by studying the prayer life of Jesus. He spent time alone in prayer. He rose before light and sometimes spent all night in prayer. He experienced joy in prayer and great agony when he travailed in prayer. He prayed FOR others (John 17:20) and WITH others (Luke 9:28). Prayer was part of Christ's world view integrated into every aspect of his life. Can we say the same about prayer in our lives? Max Lucado writes: “Your prayers are honoured in heaven as precious jewels. Purified and empowered, the words rise in a delightful fragrance to our Lord ... your words do not stop until they reach the very throne of God ... Your prayers move God to change the world. You may not understand the mystery of prayer. You don't need to. But this much is clear. Actions in heaven begin when someone prays on earth.”
Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote: “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”. He does not mention that it takes patience and perseverance. The 120 waited and prayed in Jerusalem until the fire of the Holy Spirit came. Hannah prayed for years and eventually cried out to God in anguish before he granted her petition. Samuel prayed continuously for Saul until God gave him permission to stop. Elijah prayed during three and a half years for the rain to cease, then later bowed down with his head between his knees until God released the rain.
George Mueller cared for 2,500 orphans, always relying on God to answer his prayers for provisions. David Brainerd prayed all night, often kneeling in the snow, until his beloved native Americans turned to the Lord. James Fraser laboured and prayed for eleven years for the Lisu people in China before he saw any fruit. Moses prayed twice for forty days and nights to save his people from destruction. Jesus prayed until he bled in Gethsemane to ensure our salvation. God did not promise prayer would be easy but he did promise his ears were always open to hear our prayers (Psalm 34).
Where can we pray?
Simply put – anywhere. Richard Wurmbrand prayed in prison, Isobel Kuhn in a broom cupboard. A vicar in Cornwall prayed in a hut on a clifftop and Corrie ten Boom in a concentration camp. Joshua prayed in a tent and Jonah in the belly of a fish. David prayed in his bed and John Wesley on his horse. Jesus went to solitary places to pray. Lydia joined others on a riverbank and Paul knelt on a beach.
When can we pray?
Any time and all the time. Morning, noon and night (Psalm 55:17). Jesus prayed before important events in his life. “Pray without ceasing” (1 Th 5:17). Praying without ceasing refers to us honouring God as great, relying on and looking to him and communicating with him in our spirits and living before God at all times. Whether we are sitting on a bus, going for a walk, working, preaching or doing something creative, we can still communicate with God. We can pray to him in our hearts at any time and in any place.
Who can pray?
Anyone, from the sinner in the temple to the king on his throne. As Bob Gass wrote: “If you can breathe, PRAY!”
For how long should we pray?
Are you feeling faint? Have you lost heart? Do you want to give up? Are you tired of persevering in prayer? Someone once said that persevering is like rowing upstream. Stop rowing and we get washed back downstream. It is exhausting. But we have to keep going. Why? Because Jesus told us to. Men and women ought always to pray and, according to which translation is used, not faint, lose heart, get tired, be discouraged, give up, quit, lose hope, be weary or fail. We are to pray always, continuously, all the time, consistently or without ceasing. “What we need is God's passion – to be so imbued by the Holy Spirit - that we can do nothing else but pray and call upon him to bring his will to pass. THAT IS WHAT PRAYER IS ALL ABOUT!” (Ofer Amitai)
Abraham waited for twenty-five years before God fulfilled his promise to give him a son. Isaac interceded for his wife for twenty years before she became pregnant. Daniel prayed for seventy years before he saw the answer to his cry for the restoration of Israel. Anna prayed and fasted for most of her eighty-four years in the temple waiting to see the one she had been praying for. Simeon knew he would not die until he had seen the baby who was the Lord's Christ.
James wrote: “The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man [or woman] avails much” (Js 5:16). Even though prayer is hard, strenuous and requires patience and persistence, it is the most important work we can do. “God has made fervent persistent prayer indispensable to his purpose being fulfilled.” (Andrew Murray)
For whom should we pray?
Anyone and everyone. Those in authority, the sick, our families, the lost – the list is endless. Samuel said, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you” (1 Sam 12:23). Paul urged us to “continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant with it in thanksgiving” (Col 4:2).
Can we have joy in prayer?
Even when Hannah was in anguish of heart, she was able to pray, “My heart rejoices in the Lord” (1 Sam 2:1). Paul prayed for the Christians with all joy and Jude writes of presenting Christ's followers to him with exceeding joy. Solomon said, “The prayer of the upright is his [God's] delight” in Proverbs 15:8b and the Psalmist is joyful because God has heard his prayer (Ps 28:7). Paul commands us to rejoice always and pray without ceasing - the two are synonymous.
When we are in God's presence, which includes when we are praying, we are assured that in his presence is fulness of joy.
Jesus not only says that when we ask and receive answers to our prayers, our joy will be full, but during his High Priestly prayer he prays for his followers to have his joy fulfilled in them. When we are in God's presence, which includes when we are praying, we are assured that in his presence is fulness of joy.
So let us go with joy to his house of prayer (Isa 56:7).