Learning to Pray

Luke 11:1-4

Introduction

As you may know, in addition to being a pastor, I am also a chaplain in the army reserves. One of the things that I appreciate about the military is the emphasis on continual learning. When you think of military training, you might think primarily of how to use a weapon. While that is part of it, at least for other trades, most of the courses that we take have nothing to do with pulling a trigger. There are courses on a wide range of topics, many of which are not limited in relevance to the military. One of the things that I find interesting is that there are certain courses  you take once and it is assumed that have grasped the basics of it. But there are other courses that are on topics that are so essential that you are required to take them every year.

If we think about ourselves as disciples, it would be interesting to look at our discipleship through this paradigm. There are certain things that we can hear a lecture about once of read a book about or sit through a study and we are good. But there might be other topics that are so important that we would benefit from revisiting on a regular basis. The plan for the next few weeks is to look at some of the key elements of being a disciple, things that are not just interesting to know but are essential to discipleship.

We are going to begin with the topic of prayer. We are going to look at what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. The version of this prayer that we are more familiar with is the one found in Matthew. But I like this one, not just because is simpler, but because it gives us some context. When we introduced the idea of discipleship, we talked about how a disciple follows their master and attempts to learn from and emulate that master. We know from elsewhere that prayer was an important part of Jesus’ life. This was something that the disciples observed and recognized as something important to learn. I am sure that they had prayed many times before, even before they met Jesus. But they saw something in the way Jesus prayed that reminded them that they had something to learn. So they approached Jesus and asked him to teach them how to pray. What they taught is just as relevant to us today. We are going to look at four elements of this prayer that we  can include in our own prayer life.

Praise

When most people think of prayer, they think of asking God for things. This is why we say “There are no atheists in foxholes.” The idea is that we are aware of our needs and so turn to God. We are going to see that is an important part of prayer but it is not the starting point. Jesus begins with “hallowed be your name.” This is not necessarily language we use today, but it is a declaration of a desire that God’s name would be holy. Of course, God’s name is already holy, whether we pray this or not. That is because this is not a request but an act of praise. Our modern word ‘worship’ comes from an Old English word that means ‘worth’ or ‘honourable.’ By praying that God’s name would be hallowed, Jesus is worshiping his Father. 

What role does worship play in our prayer life? Before we jump into all of the things that we need from God, what if we began by worshiping God. Can you imagine saying a prayer to God that did not include a request but only was made up of words of prayer? Does that sound too radical based on the way you have always prayed? Consider starting your prayers with some word of praise. It does not have to be the exact same phrase Jesus used, but something to indicate that God is indeed worthy of our worship.

Petition

As I already mentioned, people often equate prayer with requests to God. This is what we call petition or supplication. Many people struggle with this. Either they see this as the sum total of prayer or they feel guilty about praying for themselves. This prayer reminds us that it is appropriate for us to go to God with our petitions. My children come to me with their needs, why would God as our Father be bothered by us coming to him with our needs? But what kind of needs can we bring to God?

There are two things that we find here. The first is that God’s kingdom would come. The kingdom of God is the reign of God, something that began with the appearance of Jesus but that would only come to fulfilment when Jesus returns. The role of the church is to work toward seeing God’s kingdom expand. This kind of prayer is focused on that which is beyond ourselves as individuals. It is a prayer for justice and righteousness and peace. It is a prayer for the church, it is a prayer that people would submit to God’s rule. It is a prayer for revival.

But Jesus also teaches us to pray for our daily bread. This prayer is not just for other people’s daily bread but for our daily bread. It is completely appropriate for us to pray for our own needs. We can pray for out health, we can pray for our relationships, we can pray for our financial needs. Yes, we can even pray that there would be food on our table when things are scarce. There are examples of Jesus praying for his own needs and so surely we can do that as well.

Transformation

The next part of the prayer deals with forgiveness, both forgiveness by God and forgiveness for people. What Jesus is talking about here is personal transformation. This is vital for discipleship. None of us begin our discipleship experience as fully formed disciples. Rather we are on a journey, growing over time, become more like Jesus. What Jesus talks about here in the context of forgiveness is the development of our relationship with God and our relationship with other people. Some might not like how these are tied together. Why can’t I just grow closer to God but stay bitter toward people? You will find throughout the Bible that our relationship with God and our relationship with people is always bound together. We try to artificially separate them but they are supposed to be two parts to the whole. We need to take what Jesus says here about forgiveness seriously but Jesus is also pointing toward a larger reality of personal transformation. Prayer is part of that which allows us to grow as disciples.

Wisdom

This version concludes with a prayer that we would not be led into temptation. But does God really lead us into temptation? Does God regularly put us into difficult situations just to see what we would do? More likely, Jesus is offering a prayer for wisdom. Everyone, including Jesus’ first disciples, will find themselves in situations where they may or may not make to right decision. We don’t want to experience that and if we do, we want to make sure we do not stray from the paper path. This requires a prayer for wisdom. Jesus’ brother James, offered this teaching: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5) 

We need wisdom just as much today as the first disciples did two thousand years ago. Life is confusing and uncertain. We could easily make a mistake that will have lasting consequences. Pray for wisdom that we would remain faithful to God.

Conclusion

We are disciples of Jesus. Part of being discipleship is being people of prayer. This is much more than just saying grace before meals or praying we would find a parking spot when we are running later. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray.

That lesson included praise, petition, transformation, and wisdom. We can worship God with our prayers. We can ask for needs to be met, both on a kingdom scale and in our personal life. We can pray for transformation, both in our relationship with God and with other people. We can pray for wisdom for whatever we face in life, that we would remain faithful. We can do this and we should do this. This is part of discipleship.

This message was preached at Brookfield Baptist Church.