Luke 11:1
“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.’”
True prayer is not presenting God with a long list of requests and hoping that at least one of them is answered! Rather, it is being in harmony with Him and speaking with Him in confident expectation.
In today’s Scripture, it is evident that John the Baptist had taught his disciples how to pray. Since John preached a message of repentance, it seems reasonable that his instructions for prayer focused on repentance. As the disciples of our Lord listened to His prayers, they must have detected a difference and wanted to know how they should pray. From their request we have the words which we have come to know as the “Lord’s Prayer,” but may be more accurately called the “Disciple’s Prayer.”
All too often people pray with selfish motives. They want to increase health, wealth or wisdom for their own benefit. On the other hand, God desires to meet our needs but also provide extra resources. These resources, however, are not intended for us to provide ourselves with lavish lifestyles. When God opens heaven’s floodgates, He will also open a door of opportunity for us to wisely invest in eternal matters.
“LORD, PLEASE TEACH ME TO PRAY IN FAITH, BELIEVING!”
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil