The Lord’s Prayer: The Comfort of A Teacher

“Therefore, you should pray like this…”

The disciples sought a better prayer life, and we should, too. We know from Luke 11:1 that the disciples wanted to learn to pray from their friend and mentor, Jesus. “He was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.” Then he proceeded to teach the Lord’s Prayer. Notice that not only were the disciples wanting instruction on prayer, but our Lord was also eager to teach.

Often we view the disciples as if they were super-Christians, but we overlook the fact that, similar to us, the disciples had to begin somewhere. The disciples witnessed Jesus praying, and something was different. They looked at him and thought, “We want what he has”. The disciples, captivated by his distinctive prayer style, sought to harmonize their prayers with his. What a comfort for each of us to know we can learn to pray. That we can take these words and draw near to God. If the disciples wanted to improve their prayer life, then we should, too. If they thought they could go deeper in prayer, then we should, too.

‌Our Lord desires for us to communicate with him. There is no confusion about this. Jesus gives us a guide for our daily prayers in his teachings on the Lord’s Prayer. You might even call the Lord’s Prayer the Disciples' Daily Prayer, for this is an outline of how we should be praying to God.

This is not a prayer to be recited ritualistically. Yes, we memorize it and even pray it. However, Jesus is giving his disciples a guide or a road map to approaching God relationally through prayer.

Diagnostic Questions:

1. How does knowing the disciples’ wanted counsel in how to pray encourage you in prayer?

2. How do you feel knowing our Lord provided us with instruction and guidance for praying?