Lord Teach Us To Pray
Scripture References
Genesis 18:17-33
Abraham Intercedes for Sodom
17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen[6] him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.” 20 Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, 21 I will go down to see whether they have done altogether[7] according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” 22 So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. 23 Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” 26 And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” 27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” 30 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” 31 He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” 32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.
Colossians 2:6-19
Alive in Christ
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. 8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits[1] of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities[2] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. 16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,[4] puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
Luke 11:1-13
The Lord’s Prayer
1 Now Jesus[1] was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread,[2] 4 and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” 5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence[3] he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for[4] a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Sermon Script
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. AMEN
Lord, Teach Us To Pray
When you carry on a conversation with someone you do not know, how does it go? Does it start out by talking about the weather? Or asking where they are from? These are common icebreakers and beyond that, for many of us it can seem difficult to know what to say, or how to say it. The same holds true when talking with God in prayer. As Christians, we know that it is important, but still find ourselves asking these questions… What should I say? How do I say it? Are you sure prayer really works….?
These thoughts can interfere with starting a conversation with God… unfortunately, this is more common than you think…
It’s been at least three years ago since a couple very dear to me for months tried to start a family. Then their excitement of conception ended with a disheartening twelfth-week miscarriage. I included this couple in my daily prayers that God would bless them with a healthy child. Day after day I prayed the same prayer as they encountered DNA issues and sought medical intervention.
Time went by and I bet I prayed this request a thousand times. Sure enough, in God’s time He did bless them with conception once again and a healthy pregnancy. By God’s grace, this happy little boy now is so healthy, at his four-month checkup the other day he weighed twenty pounds.
Prayer Works
My friends, prayer does work and this is just one of many glorious testimonies I could tell, and I would love to hear yours… I do have other prayers where God has replied “not yet” and some that He has said “No”. But that’s ok… it is for a reason I do not know or understand. However, I know God’s plan is from the love of a Father… and I know He has heard me and did not tune me out. I just continue praying His will be done.
This is what we are taught as we look at the second part of our Gospel lesson in Luke 11 today. A neighbor might get up in the middle of the night to give you a loaf of bread because you are annoying and persistent. God on the other hand will give what you ask because of the love of a father. Unlike the grumpy neighbor, He wants to help us. We are told in verses 9 and 10; “and I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
God wants us to ask, seek, and knock through a conversation with Him. I know He has time and wants to hear all our prayers no matter how big or small… no matter what we have done. This relationship with God is called faith.
Through our faith we can be assured that God is not the stumbling block in our conversation with Him…… We are. Through faith we are filled with Christ… we can call on God our Father… and we can give our requests to Him through prayer and develop that personal relationship with Him.
Sit At Jesus’ Feet
This is where the first part of the Gospel comes in… We learn in Luke 11 verse 1 that Jesus was finishing a private conversation with His Father when, one of His disciples made this request…, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Now, these disciples were not strangers to prayer. No doubt they had been taught proper Jewish prayers since childhood. But Jesus prayed differently. As they overheard His prayers or prayed along with Him, their desire to pray more like Him increased. They asked Jesus, to tutor them in growing closer to God, His Father.
So, the disciples sat at Jesus’ feet like Mary did in last week’s Gospel, to learn a timeless lesson on how, for what, and to whom we should pray. And what better way to dwell in our Fathers presence than to have a conversation with Him in prayer.
I teach my Wednesday night School of Religion class of 6th and 7th graders how to pray using the (ACTS) method to construct a prayer… you will find an insert in your bulletin that you can use to follow along and then take home as a reminder…
ACTS
Using the acronym of A..C..T.. S this method of prayer starts with A…Adoration (here we give God praise and honor for who He is as our Lord).
Then C…Confession (Honestly dealing with our sins… but it is also the element of prayer where we tell God… “I’m afraid”, or “I’m weak”, or “I don’t know what to do”).
Next is T…Thanksgiving (Pretty straight forward… giving thanks for blessings and His presence all around us where God has been at work in our life).
Then ending the prayer with the letter S…Supplication (having adored, confessed our condition, and thanked Him for the gifts of the past, we are now able to come to Him in real supplication. Praying for the needs of others and yourself).
Not that a prayer needs to be constructed in this fashion, but it does include the elements important for prayer habits and helps keep our mind focused in our conversation with God. It takes time, discipline, accountability and practice… but will help in developing everyday prayer. It was humbling to watch the change in my student’s willingness to pray as the school year progressed by using this acronym to build their confidence in developing the gift of prayer.
Spiritual CPR
Prayer is indeed a gift from the Holy Spirit to us and a gift we can give to each other when there is nothing left to give. One of God’s commands for us is to pray… that is why Jesus says more than once in Matthew 6 the words “when you pray”, not “if you pray.”
Other places in scripture encourage us to pray as well… “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:8) “Pray continually.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.” (James 5:13) “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12)
It is clear that God is telling us through scripture that He wants us to talk to Him. However, sometimes I think we view prayer like the spare tire in our car. We are glad it’s there, but hope we never have to use it…. Or is prayer something we use when there is a “road side crisis” so to speak…. Our 911 call we use only in case of an emergency.
We must instead think of prayer as our steering wheel, something to hang on too that will guide us where we are going, a key component on getting us there safely, we cannot stay on our path without it. The road of our life, and others, depends on you and everyone else giving careful attention to that steering wheel they are hanging on to… And so it is, with prayer.
Prayer is our spiritual CPR in Christian living, reviving our heart. Martin Luther once said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” I admit, there are times when I get short of breath and could use some spiritual CPR. Doubt and fear enter my mind and my conscious taps me on the shoulder and whispers in my ear; … Am I taking my requests to God in prayer? Am I asking for a bit too much?
Pray Like This
Should I really still be asking God for that? All this time I have been praying… Is this call to God a dropped call?
All these things possibly entered the disciples mind as well. They did not ask Jesus to teach them how to preach or teach. Hearing Jesus pray made them aware that they needed help in the practice of prayer… “Lord teach us to pray.”
And indeed, He did…
Through the three years of Jesus’ teaching, these disciples witnessed Jesus praying for others… with others… and alone… at great lengths. The Lord’s Prayer as we call it from the Gospels was the ultimate pattern of prayer Jesus taught when asked how to pray.
So, Jesus, the master of all prayer, said in Matthew 6:9, “Pray like this.” As He taught us what we call the Lord’s Prayer…which might seem to some worshipers like a hard to focus pre-written prayer uttered from memory…. However, if you are wanting to apply what the Lord’s Prayer teaches toward our present moment of crisis, or any moment of crisis for that matter, and are seeking a powerful pledge of submission to God in the midst of painful, uncertain times like the present… then listen closely to what Jesus teaches and says to you and I as we pray through every portion of the Lord’s Prayer…. Like this.
The Lord’s Prayer
“Our Father who art in Heaven” … Pray a prayer of adoration and praise. Praise God for who He is, our Heavenly Father.
“Hollowed by Your Name.” … Pray a prayer for the glory of God. Praising Him with admiration and respect.
“Thy Kingdom Come” … Pray a prayer for more of God’s ways on Earth. Pray to acknowledge God as the sovereign ruler of your life, desiring more of His kingdom throughout the world.
“Thy Will be Done” … Pray a prayer for God’s plan… not yours or mine. Pray to submit your will to God, following where He leads you through trust and obedience.
“Give us This Day Our Daily Bread” … Pray a prayer for God’s provision in your life and others in need.
“Forgive us Our Trespasses” … Pray a prayer of confession and repentance. Pray to confess your sins and ask for God’s forgiveness. Pray to repent, turning from those sins and walking closer to God’s path.
“As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against us” … Pray a prayer to forgive others. Pray for God’s help in forgiving others and living a life of love.
“And Lead us Not into Temptation, But Deliver us From Evil,” … Pray a prayer for safety from evil. Pray for God’s help and protection from sin and temptation.
“For Thine is the Kingdom, Forever and Ever” … Remind yourself… God has the power to do far more than you can imagine. Pray for all things to be done to God’s glory and believe that God is faithful to answer your prayers.
Personal Relationship With God
…Once again, prayer is at the center of our relationship with God. Through faith we pray because God loves us and we pray because we believe that God hears and acts on our prayers. I firmly believe this to be true. However, at times it is hard to keep our mind focused during that conversation with God. Our mind can drift into what is going on that day or many other things… Luther once said that he wished he could pray like his dog watched him eat sausage… Now that would be a focused prayer…
I had a theological discussion with a friend from another denomination some time ago. We talked about our differences in Baptism and Communion, and why we have a Lenten season. But what I recall to be the most confusing… was he told me in his church they only pray the Lord’s prayer once a month. When I asked why, he told me because when you say it frequently, it is too hard to focus on what you are praying.
Well, I had to think on that one for a few days and I admit I have recited the prayer from memory and not dug deep in my heart to pray it. Since then, I make an intentional effort to give God my undivided attention. God used that conversation with my friend to teach me to pray.
Talk To God Today
My friends, use what God gives you to open up those lines of communication. Ask and it will be given, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. Use prayer daily to talk with God. Prayer will clear your vision… Prayer will quiet your heart with His presence… Prayer will teach you to wait patiently for His timing…
God just wants to hear from you. You will soon find out how many of those prayers are answered and you will soon be telling your own testimony.
God, our loving Heavenly Father, wants us to communicate with Him through prayer. An eternal life changing gift… He is there to listen… He is ready to act… Through faith, we will be able to continue our heavenly walk with God through those lines of communication, because… Jesus so graciously… taught us to pray.
And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Amen.