Lord, teach us to pray… (Luke 11:1-2)

The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. (Matthew 11:4-5)

So, how important was prayer to the disciples of Christ as they walked with him throughout his three years of earthly ministry? How important should it be to us? Let’s go back in time to the days of Jesus’ ministry when he was with his twelve disciples.

John the Baptist has been locked up and placed in prison in the gloomy fortress of Machaerus, located about five miles east of the Dead Sea. This fortress was part of one of the Herodian palaces. It’s at this point that John hears about the works of Jesus and sends his disciples to inquire if he is the one that is to come or should they look for someone else? Listen to what Jesus tells the disciples of John “Tell him what you hear and see. The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor (Matthew 11:4-5).” You see, John was Jesus’ earthly cousin and had baptized Jesus early in his ministry and now wants to confirm that everything he is hearing while in prison is about the Messiah he knows so well. Anyone could say they were the Messiah, but only one could do what the Messiah came to do!

So here’s my point, Jesus’ disciples witnessed incredible and beyond-belief miracles before their very eyes as they traveled with him, and of all these miraculous events they saw him perform, the only request they ask of Jesus is to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-2). Isn’t that intriguing! The disciples knew that when Jesus prayed, mighty and powerful things happened. They wanted to learn how to pray as Jesus did so they too could grow the kingdom of God. I believe this is what each of our prayer lives can develop into as we grow in our faith. Prayer that is effective is prayed from the heart. Listen to these quotes from believers speaking out on prayer. John Ortberg, says, “Prayer is the concrete expression of the fact that we are invited into a relationship with God!” The late Dallas Willard, a professor of philosophy and Christian author said, “Prayer is talking to God about what we are doing together.” That is you and God sharing life together—can you imagine! George Mueller, an incredible missionary of the 19th century, said, “The most important part of prayer is the 15 minutes after you say the, amen.” I love that thought. After we have done all the talking and we come to the “amen,” this is the most critical and relational point of our time with God. This is when we should listen to what God has to say to our heart.

Yet, why do we struggle with prayer? We can’t focus, we don’t make it a priority to carve out time during our busy day, and many times we find ourselves bypassing the greatest privilege as a believer and that is to spend time talking to our Father in Heaven. It’s as though we have this hit and miss prayer time and we just can’t seem to get ahead. I’m too tired, it’s too late, I’ll get back with you shortly, Lord are only a few of the many reasons we use to justify a meager prayer life. But there’s no rules to prayer.

I’ve got to tell you, there have been times when I have prayed and talked God’s ear off, said my amen, and out the door I go, but then there are times when after all is said and out in the open, I just remain in that quiet zone of prayer and just listen. It’s in these very quiet, still moments where I am showered with the Lord answering my requests, or he provides me the peace I need in a difficult situation, or he answers my petitions and lets me know he is taking care of it all. I am frozen in time. His peace surrounds me. I become overwhelmed and weep. I know His Holy Spirit is filling me, wooing me to stay faithful as I call out to Him. C.S. Lewis wrote that we are to “Lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” What C.S. Lewis was impressing on us was the fact that like any other relationship we must begin in honesty if it is to grow. Just talk to God. There is no prescription, no order, and no manual on how to go about it, with the exception of the Model Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13, or the Lord’s Prayer in John 17:1-26. God just says, come to me in faith and talk to me and I will meet you there. Effective prayers begin with a humble and contrite heart before the Lord. The rest just happens as his Spirit leads. Remember this, Jesus is the object of our faith. He is the power behind our prayers. Leonard Ravenhill once said, “The only power that God will yield to is that of prayer.”

Is there someone in your path whom you would consider a “Prayer Warrior?” There is a unique depth and sensitivity and spiritual power that comes from the Lord that seems to surround these individuals when they pray. You just know they have a direct line to Jesus. When they pray you know they will be heard and when you find yourself in need they are the ones you go to so they can petition on your behalf. You know they are able to move heaven. My mom is one of those prayer warriors. When I was a young child, my mom would get my older brother and me on our knees and ask Him for protection and guidance. I didn’t know what it all meant as a young kid, but I sure remember folding my hands and bowing my head. Over the years as a grown man I have gone to her to pray with me and for me. She seems to have this connection as she goes before the throne of God’s grace that brings about heavenly change. My mom, going on 88 years old, said to me the other day that life would be boring to her in these latter years if she didn’t have prayer, as she deeply misses the love of her life of 61 years of marriage (Dad is in heaven waiting for her to join him). I said, “Mom, you’re going to be praying (talking) even as you enter into heaven because that’s who you are as a child of the King. Prayer has been your lifestyle since the very day you came to the Lord. When you see Him face to face, mom, you’ll know He is your Friend who has walked with you along life’s pathway here on earth.” My mom got excited about the reality of this thought as she said to me, “I look forward to being with him in heaven!” What a legacy of faith and prayer she is leaving for her children.

Thank you, Lord, for the many great mentors you place in our pathway to teach us about spiritual truths. I thank you Lord for those awesome mentors who also come alongside our children at just the right time—your timing. It wasn’t until decades down the road that you taught me what the power of prayer was about; how prayer can change lives that are hard hearted; how prayer can cause us to personally come to know your Son who we will one day meet face to face; and how prayer can remove our fear, anxieties, and doubt. Thank you, Lord, for your peace that surpasses all understanding in those times of our suffering and grief. Lord, teach us to pray! Amen.