“Lord, Teach Us To Pray”

WORSHIP ARTICLE | Jesse Flowers | Cookeville, Tennessee

Without question, prayer is a major Bible doctrine and subject referenced throughout the Scriptures. It is one of the greatest spiritual blessings the child of God is afforded to enjoy in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3). How wonderful and incredible that our loving and caring heavenly Father has provided to His children this means of communication with Him!

Christians of every age are instructed to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). So to the saints in Ephesus, Paul exhorted them, saying, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Eph. 6:18). Since this spiritual activity and form of communication with God is a regular part of a Christian’s life, we must know how to pray. And even if we already feel confident that we know how to pray, no doubt all of us can grow more in this area of our walk with God.

I am very thankful that during the earthly ministry of Jesus, some of His disciples requested of Him on one occasion, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). Jesus’ disciples were Jewish men who undoubtedly were taught by their parents to pray when they were children, and now as grown men, often prayed. But they still recognized a deficiency in their knowledge of prayer and perhaps their ability to do so effectively. So who better to teach them or us, regarding the subject of prayer, than the Son of God Himself?

So, how does the Lord, and the inspired men who wrote His commandments (1 Cor. 14:37), teach us to pray? First, let us briefly consider some important ways the Lord teaches us to pray.

Reverently. The very first aspect of prayer that the Lord teaches us is who we are addressing when we pray and how we address Him. “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name” (Lk. 11:2; Matt. 6:11). The meaning of “hallowed” carries with it the idea of venerated, sacred, someone to be revered. Certainly, the Creator of all things, the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present God, is to be addressed reverently whenever we pray to Him. So, let us be careful not to become nonchalant and casual about how we address the One who holds our very breath in His hand (Acts 17:25). Since He is the One to whom we must give account (Heb. 4:13) and the One to whom we are to serve, we must approach Him “acceptably with reverence and godly fear” (Heb. 12:28).

Humbly. In His parable, Jesus taught about two men (Pharisee and tax collector) that went up to the temple to pray; one thing is made abundantly clear: God favorably hears and receives the prayers of the humble, not the haughty (Luke 18:9-14). “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). As the LORD said of old through His faithful prophet Isaiah, “But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” (Isaiah 66:2). King David understood, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart-these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). So, “humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).

For our Physical Needs. When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, one of the key things that He emphasized to them was to make the request: “Give us day by day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3; cf. Matt. 6:11). Expressing our need for food in this way, “day by day,” reminds us of our dependence upon God and His goodness to provide us with what we need. Jesus would go on to teach in the text of Matthew 6 that the focus and priority of His followers was to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” (v. 33), and not worry about food, drink, and clothing. Our heavenly Father knows that we need these things and will graciously provide them (Matt. 6:25-34; cf. Acts 14:17). But it is important to be reminded often that though we may work extremely hard to provide for our own household, it is God still who “gives to all life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25, emphasis mine, jf).

For our Spiritual Needs. Of course, as always, our Lord is primarily concerned with our spiritual needs. So He instructed His disciples to pray: “And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Luke 11:4). Our sins against God (Rom. 3:23; I Jn. 3:4) are accurately described as “debts” (Matt. 6:12). They are a debt owed that we cannot possibly ever pay or “make up for,” thus, we are fully relying on God’s mercy and grace to take our debts away. For the child of God, this is to be done by confession, repentance, and prayer (1 Jn. 1:9; Acts 8:22). Jesus also makes it abundantly clear that God’s willingness to forgive us is dependent upon our willingness to forgive those who sin against us (Matt. 6:12, 14-15). Prayer to God is also vital in resisting and overcoming the temptations of the evil one. Paul exhorts saints to put on the whole armor of God, as well as “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18). And Jesus instructed His disciples in the Garden to: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41).

For the Spread of the Gospel. In what is often referred to as the “Lord’s Prayer,” Jesus taught His disciples to pray “Your kingdom come” (Luke 11:2; Matt. 6:10). At the time, the “kingdom” (i.e., the Church) was “at hand” (Matt. 3:2; 4:17), but still future. But now the kingdom, the Lord’s church, has been established (Matt. 16:18; Mk. 9:1; Acts 2; Col. 1:13). Members of the household of God should continue to pray for the Lord’s church – for the gospel to be preached near, far, and wide – for the borders of the spiritual kingdom to expand – and for precious souls to continue to be added to it by the Lord (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor. 12:13). Paul wrote to churches, exhorting them to pray for more opportunities to spread the gospel. He said, “meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak” (Col. 4:3-4). “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you” (2 Thess. 3:1). The harvest of lost souls is plentiful, but the laborers are few, so let us “pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:38).

Filled with Praise. Jesus ends His instructive prayer with these words of praise, “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matt. 6:13). Our prayers ought to be filled with praise to God (Heb. 13:15). Paul penned to the saints in Philippi, “Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Phil. 4:20). As he wrote to Timothy, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim. 1:17). As Peter declared to the saints: “that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Pet. 4:11). Jude ends his short epistle with these words: “To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen” (v. 25). “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” (Ps. 150:6).

Through Jesus Christ. Jesus taught His disciples “that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you” (John 15:16; cf. 14:13-14; 16:23-24, 26). The apostle Paul declared: “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5). How fortunate we are that we have “a merciful and faithful High Priest” (Heb. 2:17) who can “sympathize with our weaknesses” (Heb. 4:15); therefore, we can “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). And what a blessed and reassuring truth that our Savior “lives to make intercession” for the saints (Heb. 7:25)!

According to God’s Will. Jesus also teaches us to pray to God, saying, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Luke 11:2; Matt. 6:10). Seeking the will of His Father in heaven was always at the heart of what Jesus did (John 5:30; 6:38; Matt. 26:39, 42), and so must it be with us in our lives and expressed in our prayers. Our prayers are not to be centered around our will, wants, and desires, but rather God’s perfect will. When we remember to focus our prayer requests around the will of God, the Bible tells us that we can have great confidence in God hearing and answering our prayers. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15).

With Faith. No matter how well-expressed, eloquent, and lengthy our prayers may be, they are voiced in vanity if they are void of faith. In the New Testament book of James, we read: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, (emphasis mine, jf) for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways” (1:5-8). Did you catch what James stated here? If we ask things of God (such as wisdom) with doubts within us (i.e., lacking in faith), we will not receive anything from Him! As Jesus taught His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (Matt. 21:21-22, emphasis mine, jf). So let us pray with confidence, trust, and faith!

Steadfastly. Those who first obeyed the gospel on the day of Pentecost are described as “continuing steadfastly…in prayers” (Acts 2:42). Paul instructed the saints living in Rome: “continuing steadfastly in prayer” (Rom. 12:12). The Greek word for steadfastly literally means: “to be earnest towards, that is, (to a thing) to persevere, be constantly diligent…to adhere closely to” (Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries). This is exactly what Paul was exhorting the brethren in Thessalonica to do when he wrote to them to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). Even when the odds seem to be against us, we must continue to pray to God and not lose heart (Luke 18:1), remembering that we are praying to the One “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Eph. 3:20).

In Righteousness. James declared: “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (Jam. 5:16). Notice that James did not state that the prayer of just anyone can accomplish much, but the effective prayer of an upright man or woman certainly can! After all, as Peter penned: “For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12). For example, remember that Peter warned husbands that their prayers to God could be hindered if they were not treating their wives in a godly manner (1 Peter 3:7). We cannot expect a holy God to hear and answer the prayers of people living unholy lives (cf. Isa. 59:1-2). Dear Christian, if you want your prayer to be received by Almighty God, then strive to consistently walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:5-6).

For Those in Authority. Paul exhorts Christians to pray for those who are in positions of authority in civil government. God Himself has ordained the governing authorities (Rom. 13:1). He calls upon saints to pray for their leaders regardless of their politics and policies. “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Tim. 2:1-2). Notice the reason the apostle gives for why Christians are to pray for all who are in authority. He states, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” It is for our benefit that we would remember them in our prayers.

When Filled with Anxiety. Whether one is reading in the Old Testament or the New Testament, the message of Scripture is clear, God does not want His children to be filled with anxiety. At times in our lives, anxious thoughts will multiply within us (Ps. 94:19), weighing our hearts down (Prov. 12:25). The inspired apostle Paul tells the Christian that praying to our heavenly Father is a wonderful solution in taking away our anxieties and replacing it with the peace of God. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7). The God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3) wants us to cast all our anxieties upon Him because He cares for us so deeply (1 Peter 5:7).

When we are Suffering. James asked, “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray” (5:13). He said if any brethren were sick, they should summon the elders of the church to pray over the one who was sick (5:14-16). Paul prayed to the Lord when he was suffering with a thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7-10). He pleaded with the Lord three times to remove it. The answer that he received was: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Paul humbly accepted such an answer and said: “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” David rightly declared: “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:17-19).

With Thanksgiving. I am afraid a key element often left out of our prayers is remembering to give God thanks. But when you stop and look at the prayer Scriptures in the New Testament, you will notice how often “thanks” and thanksgiving” are included. Of course, the book of Psalms is saturated with prayers and songs of thanksgiving to the Lord. Let us recall that Paul wrote: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6, emphasis mine, jf). “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2, emphasis mine, jf). How important is it for the Christian to remember to give God thanks? Paul tells us in Eph. 5:20 and 1 Thess. 5:18. “giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” and “in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” As the psalmist declared, “Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” (107:8).

“Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). He will, and He does if we are willing to learn from Him and then put His teachings about prayer into practice in our day-to-day lives.

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July 2021 | GROW magazine