Our Greatest Privilege!
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place,
when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him,
“Lord, teach us to
pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
Luke 11: 1
There is a general perception among Christians that prayer is a
topic for the New Testament rather than the Old. But prayer was
not an unknown subject among Jews as evidenced by the fact
that John the Baptist had instructed his disciples how to
pray.
That makes Jesus’ disciples’ request to Him a little unusual:
“Lord, teach us to pray.” Perhaps they learned from Jesus
that prayer could be a very personal discipline instead of
just a religious practice.
Their request to Jesus suggests a newfound dimension
to ancient practice: prayer to a personal Father rather
than only to the God of the nation (Matthew
6:9;
Luke 11:2).
And perhaps the disciples
had done what we often do—
taking conversation with our Heavenly Father for granted
rather than entering into it as life’s greatest privilege.
If prayer for you has
become more of a formality than an
adventure, consider using the prayer Jesus taught His
disciples as a model for your own prayers.
"Prayer is the key of heaven;
faith is the hand that turns it."
Thomas Watson
