May 22, 2019
“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.’” – Luke 11:1
For my personal devotions over the last several months I’ve been reading through a book that a pastor friend gave to me when I first started in ministry. The book is called “Between Heaven and Earth,” and it is all about prayer. It is a wonderful book that contains stories and scriptures about prayer as well as prayers from some of the greatest men and women of faith throughout history. I would love to say that I have worn out this book through my years of ministry, but the truth is I just recently pulled it off my shelf for the first time. For years I have missed out on the incredible blessing of this beautiful book because I didn’t value lessons on prayer. Since prayer is just “talking to God,” I didn’t think there was all that much to learn. I was wrong! The more I learn about prayer the more I understand that there is so much more to learn.
We often criticize the disciples because they seem to misunderstand much of what Jesus is teaching throughout his ministry. But we have something very important to learn from them in Luke chapter 11. When they see the intimacy and power of Jesus’ prayers, they want to learn; they want to know how to pray. In the following verses, then, Jesus responds by teaching them what we have come to know as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Is that one of your requests in the presence of Jesus? We want to learn all kinds of things when we approach our pastor, our mentors, or even our Lord. But I think we very seldom come excited and willing to learn more about how to pray. Today, come to Jesus and ask him to teach you to pray.
Heavenly Father, teach me how to communicate with You. Teach me prayer that is powerful and effective. Teach me to speak to You in prayer with a heart that reflects the heart of Jesus Christ. Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours in the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever! Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Shane Cannon
