“Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation. ” Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence. “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.””
Luke 11:1-13 NLT
Prayer is talking to God. The Father wants to spend time talking and listening to us. He has all the time in the world to be together with us. Prayer is the most basic way that we live out our new relationship with God our Father.
Jesus prayed regularly—so much that His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. He taught them to pray the Lord’s Prayer, which is not only something we can recite, but also a pattern for prayer. We come to God as our Father, praise and honor Him, pray for His Kingdom to come, pray for needs, for forgiveness, and for strength over temptation. Most of us are missing a few of these elements in our prayers. Look back through that list, and add to your prayer life any missing elements. How you pray changes how you think and live.
Jesus also taught on prayer; we aren’t praying to a distant deity but to our loving Father. We don’t need to babble on and on because God knows what we need. He loves us and wants to give us what is best for us, even more than an earthly father. Though we don’t need to ramble on, we can be bold and pray to God repeatedly. These repeated prayers are not just for our needs, but also for the Kingdom, forgiveness, and strength over temptation. We are praying for a change of character that comes from our new relationship with the Father and our choices.
Pray. Pray again and again. Pray to our loving Father. Pray all the Lord’s Prayer. Live your prayers. Pray boldly and be changed by the Father. Pray. Never stop praying.
Which elements of the Lord’s prayer are missing from your daily prayers? What difference would it make in your life if you spent more time in prayer?
