The basics of prayer

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." So He said to them, "When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one." – Luke 11.1-4

Prayer had always been a part of Jewish religious life, but now they knew things were different. Jesus was their teacher now. As disciples they were His students.

One day they saw Jesus praying. Here we have a scene where God the Son praying. The disciples waited and then asked Him ‘Lord, teach us to pray like John taught His disciples.’

Jesus did a marvellous job of breaking prayer down into its essential parts. These are not mindless words to be repeated without thinking. It is just what they asked for – a lesson on prayer.

Here are the essentials. Recognise God as Father and as reigning in heaven. Recognise His holiness. Seek His kingdom instead of this earthly realm. Seek His will. Recognise our need of His provision. Recognise the need to deal with sin. Recognise the danger of temptation.

That’s what prayer breaks down to. It is talking to our Father, recognised who He is and who we are. It is like a child taking to a daddy. Prayer is about supplication to His will, not trying to conform Him to ours.