Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:1-4
Have you ever wondered why it is hard to pray? I know I have. There are many times and ways we can pray, but like the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, we may just keep dozing off. Or we may not know what to pray for or how to do it. Maybe the cry of our hearts should be, “Lord, teach us to pray. . .” (Luke 11:1).
This prayer “room” is a place we will be asking God to “teach us to pray” and learn together how to grow in our prayer lives. We will also have opportunities to meet live online to pray together. With a drumroll, the “Praying Room” is open!
In this post, we join the disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray . . .”
The disciples knew prayer was important. It was a part of their culture. They prayed in their synagogues, in the Temple. Their Hebrew scriptures were full of examples of prayer–the Psalms, the “founding fathers,” the Patriarchs, the righteous kings of Judah, and the Prophets. Other rabbis in the disciples’ contemporary environment were mentoring their followers in prayer.
We join the disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray . . .”
To learn to pray, we first acknowledge that it is very important. We are aware it is a part of our Jesus-following culture. We also are aware that more than just being our spiritual cultural value, it is something we don’t really fully learn until we faithfully pray..
I believe that with the first disciples, we have something inside that yearns, “Lord, teach me to pray.” If you are like me, you know at best, there is a lot of room for improvement; at worst, when I don’t pray I am ignoring my relationship with God.
“Lord, teach us to pray . . .” Recognizing their need, the disciples asked for help. They knew Jesus regularly prayed. One day, after waiting for Jeus to finish praying, they asked Jesus for a prayer lesson. Having seen Jesus modeling prayer, they asked him to teach them to pray. The disciples wanted more than merely knowing praying was important. They were eager to pray, to pray like Jesus.
“Pursuing God’s Heart” is a community where spiritual journeys are shared. Communities communicate.
I invite you to reflect on the Bible passages above to continue our conversation on prayer. Please leave a comment below about something you have experienced about prayer in relation to the disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray. . .” Considering the texts above, what has Jesus taught you, or is teaching you, about prayer. By the way, the community will appreciate an insight, reflection, and experience from one’s heart rather than a sermon about everything one may know that is merely head knowledge. You may be like me, always learning to let what is in my head flow out through my heart, hands, and feet.
Let’s pursue God’s heart. Lord, teach us to pray.
Consider sharing in the comments what the Lord has been teaching you recently about prayer. It may be just the thing someone else needs to hear to help them to push forward into God’s heart..