Luke 11:1-10, Lord, Teach us to Pray

In recent posts we referred to a couple of prayers taken from the NT writings of Paul.  It reminded me how much I truly love Paul’s prayers.  They are so spot on in asking for what is truly needed to, for example, be more loving people.  Of course they are spot on; they fall under the cover of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 

Say, since they are inspired by the Holy Spirit, maybe we should be reciting them to God the way we recite the Lord’s Prayer.  I thought it would be good to read that prayer today, and the context in Luke’s version.  It was given by Christ to His disciples when one of them asked Him to teach them to pray.  Undoubtedly they had seen and heard Jesus pray and knew that His faithfulness, power, goodness and every other perfection was connected to His conversations with His Father. 

But does any serious student of Scripture think Jesus was just giving them a prayer to recite?  Certainly, He was giving them an amazing pattern to follow.  We know He discouraged what He called “vain repetitions” (Matt. 6:7), the repeating of formulas or “mantras” practiced by the heathen.  He gave that warning in the Sermon on the Mount, just before using “The Lord’s Prayer” to teach on prayer.  It was not just a prayer to recite.  But it can be a very effective prayer when we repeat it back to our Father in heaven.  If our minds and hearts are in gear, Jesus’ prayer can help us to focus on what matters with our Father.

There are some great prayers in the OT that I have often heard referenced in sermons on prayer.  Recently, in a two day conference on prayer, we must have heard 4-5 references to Hezekiah’s great prayer … we don’t know what to do but our eyes are on You.  I have heard many references to Solomon’s prayer, where the Lord promised, If my people, who are called by My name, etc. (2 Chron. 7:14). The Psalms, of course, are filled with prayer and praise. 

I have often wondered why Paul’s prayers do not get the same type of use.  Again, they are Scripture.  Thus, they are the will of God.  And, if you have never paid attention to them, you might not realize how rich and deep they are.  And like every other prayer in Scripture, including the Lord’s Prayer, they teach us the will of God, and then help us to pray the will of God. 

Let me preface this last paragraph by saying my prayer life is weak.  I do not hold it up as a fine-tuned weapon of spiritual warfare.  Oh, how I wish it was.  But I do find this: the prayers of the Apostle are a real help to me.  I ask the Lord to help me see a connection between one of Paul’s prayers and the need of a grand-child or brother or sister in Christ.  And then I seek to memorize that prayer, and repeat it back to the Lord, on behalf of that person.  A study of these prayers will be a great help to your communion with our Father.  May you be blessed in this.