Lord, Teach Us to Pray!

A MINISTER PARKED HIS CAR IN A NO-PARKING ZONE IN A LARGE CITY because he was short of time and couldn’t find a space with a meter. So he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: “I have circled the block ten times. If I don’t park here, I’ll miss my appointment. Forgive us our trespasses.”

When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note: “I’ve circled this block for ten years. If I don’t give you a ticket, I’ll lose my job. Lead us not into temptation.” I just wanted to share this good Christian

humor with you as I start this new series related to prayer.

For the next several weeks, I would like to spend some time discussing The Spirit of the Ministry and Prayer. This topic is critical to the vitality of Christian life. When I accepted the call of God into ministry in 1987, I was introduced to an expression about prayer that I have never forgotten, “Little prayer, little power; much prayer, much power; and no prayer, no power.” Over the years, I have witnessed the truthfulness of this expression in the lives of many believers, including myself! A personal and corporate prayer life is a sine qua non (i.e. an indispensable and essential action) of Christian duty (Luke 18:1; 1 Samuel 12:23). The issue of prayer is so important that one of Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-13). Jesus responds by teaching them what we call the Lord’s Prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer is mentioned in two places in Scripture: Luke 11:2-4 and in Matthew 6:9-13. The Sermon on the Mount is the occasion for Matthew’s version; Luke’s version is abbreviated. Furthermore, The prayer should be called the Model Prayer versus the Lord’s Prayer, for Jesus never intended for it to be used as a liturgy; “He Himself did not use it as a liturgy” (cf. John 17, A.T. Robertson). Moreover, it is not wrong to learn and recite it. All I am saying is that it was meant to serve as a pattern or model for praying. Accordingly, let us observe several facts from the Model Prayer.

First, the Model Prayer as recorded in Matthew’s version is in two sections; the first deals with God’s glory (vv.9-10) and the second with man’s need (vv.11-13a). Second, each section is composed of three petitions. The first three are petitions in behalf of God’s name, His kingdom, and His will. The second three are petitions for daily bread, forgiveness, and protection from temptation.

Third, when we follow the model we start by acknowledging God’s Fatherhood and our dependence upon Him. Then we praise and worship His name followed by requesting His kingdom and will to be done, especially in every aspect of our lives. Lastly, we deal with our human needs. In Luke’s version, the remaining verses consist of two illustrations. The first deals with our persistence in prayer (vv. 5-9), and verses 10-13 address our consistency in prayer—not just seeking the Father when we are in a crisis. The Bible Exposition Commentary sheds more light on this assertion:

The second illustration: The tenses of the verbs are important here: "Keep on asking .. keep on seeking .. keep on knocking." In other words, don't come to God only in the midnight emergencies, but keep in constant communion with your Father. Jesus called this "abiding" (John 15:1ff), and Paul exhorted, "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). As we pray, God will either answer or show us why He cannot answer. Then it is up to us to do whatever is necessary in our lives so that the Father can trust us with the answer.

In sum, let us make prayer a primary practice in our lives, for God enjoys when we commune with Him in prayer!