Luke 11:1, “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

The disciples wanted Jesus to teach them how to pray because they had seen His consistent prayer life and wanted to be close to God like Him (Mark 1:35). In the ancient world religious leaders would often times teach their followers what to pray as well as when and where to pray. Likewise, the disciples desired to know how Jesus wanted them to pray to have a successful relationship with God the Father.

The act of praying in the Bible has two different functions. First, it functions as, “asking God for something;” (Mark 11:24) and second, it implies, “talking and listening to God” (Luke 6:12). Today and for the rest of your life you have the privilege of talking to God, sharing your requests with Him and listening to His voice. God not only wants you to call on Him in your times of need to make requests, He also desires for you to have meaningful relationship with Him. In your times of prayer God desires to hear your heart and share His with you. A.B. Simpson wrote, “Prayer is the link that connects us with God.”

You are never disconnected from God if your prayer life is vibrant. Your prayer life will determine the climate of your spiritual life.

Do you want to connect with God and stay connected with Him all day, everyday? Do you desire to learn how to pray like Jesus did? Do you want to learn how to practice the presence of God wherever you go? If you answered, “yes,” then the first thing you should desire to do is learn from Jesus’ example found in the Bible because prayer is one of the most important gifts that God has given His children. By prayer, we can know the will of God, have our needs met, be encouraged, receive forgiveness, lift up others in their times of trouble and know God personally.

Take a moment right now to set a regular time of prayer with God everyday and begin to ask Jesus to teach you how to pray effectively like how He taught His disciples. As you remain committed to grow in your scheduled times of prayer you will naturally develop a 24/7 prayer life that will positively impact every area of your life. You will soon learn that from your prayer life, God will give you everything you need in your daily life!

Reflection 

Do you want to learn how to pray like Jesus?

Action

  1. Ask Jesus to teach you how to pray.
  2. Set a regular time to pray each day and stay committed to it (Matthew 6:6). For example, pray from 6-7am before you start getting ready for work or take a prayer walk from 8-9pm each night after you put the kids to bed.
  3. When you pray spend time both talking to God and listening to His voice.

One Year Reading Plan

Leviticus 24:1-25:46, Mark 10:13-31, Psalm 44:9-26, & Proverbs 10:20-21. Click here to read online.