In Luke 11:1-13 Jesus teaches us the basics of prayer. These can be broken down into three categories.
I. Prayer involves a right Attitude.(vs. 1)In verse 1 we read "And 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.’ Jesus disciples displayed a right attitude about prayer. That right attitude was reflected in two aspects.
A.The disciples displayed a humble spirit. They admitted that they needed help. They asked to be taught. Before we can learn we must admit that we need to learn.
B.The disciples displayed a hungry spirit. They were eager to learn. Their attitude was somewhat like that of the Psalmist "As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" (Ps. 42:1-3 NKJV)
II. Prayer involves a right Approach.
We read these words "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.’’
(vs. 2-4 NKJV) There are six parts to this prayer.
The first three are focused on God.
A.Prayer involves the right Position. Jesus said pray "Our Father". Before one can pray he must be related to God. You must be a child of God. You must be born again.
B. Prayer involves Praise. Jesus said to "hallow" His name. When we pray we should spend time praising God for who He is and not for what we want.
C.Prayer involves the right Purpose. Jesus said to pray for His "will" and not our own. When our purpose is to seek God’s will we are prepared to pray.
The last three aspects of prayer are focused on personal matters.
D.Prayer involves praying for needs. Jesus said pray for "daily bread." Bread is a general term that refers to praying for needs.
E. Prayer involves praying for Pardon. Jesus said pray for forgiveness of sin.
F. Prayer involves praying for Protection. Jesus said we should pray that we not yield to temptation.
III. Prayer involves Anticipation. Anticipation is discussed in verses 5-13. This teaching can be summarized in verse 11 "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?" (NKJV)As we pray we should ask three important questions.
Do I believe that God is good? There are times when we all question the goodness of God. That question must be settled!
Do I expect anything to happen when I pray? Do I expect God to answer my prayer.
Do I persevere in prayer? The child does not stop praying when asking things of his father. Even so, we should not stop when we do not see an immediate answer. Jesus said " "And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." (vs. 9 NKJV)
May God bless you as you expand your prayer life!
