The disciples asked Jesus how to pray after they watched him setting the example. They wanted to learn to do it the way that he did!
Christian Living
Encouragement
0
Prayer day two. Start with prayer. Dear God, please help me to hear you and understand your message for me. Amen. The beans, or the background. Jesus was a teacher of the Jewish faith, which meant he had followers who were training underneath him. These people, the disciples, asked Jesus how to pray after they watched him setting the example. They wanted to learn to do it the way that he did. I am so thankful that they asked, because this prayer that he taught them has been passed down through the generations. You most likely have heard it yourself. The verse, Luke chapter 3, verses 21 and 22. 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. He said to them, The fill. What's the point? I have a vivid memory from childhood of my mom teaching me the Lord's Prayer at night. We had always recited the famous Now I Lay Me prayer together as we went to bed each night, which was fine and dandy, except for the fact that my mother had me as her daughter. You see, I'm sure you'd never be able to guess it, but I love to dissect the written word and really ponder the meaning and lessons behind all of them. And apparently this started in childhood, one night in particular. As we were reciting the Now I Lay Me prayer, I caught myself really thinking about the words I had routinely repeated for as long as I could remember. And as I got to the, if I should die before I wake part, well, you can imagine things spun out of control pretty quickly. Am I going to die? I don't want to die. What will happen to all my stuffed animals and baby dolls? Are you and daddy going to die? Who dies first? Will this prayer make me die? It was then and there that my mom pronounced that my sister and I were suddenly old enough for a new prayer, and we defaulted to the Lord's Prayer from that night forward. The disciples asked Jesus how to pray. I wanted to know what words I should pray that wouldn't make me die in the middle of the night. And I'd be willing to bet that you too have wondered what it is exactly that you should say as you pray sometimes. This team, what does this mean to me and how can I apply it to my life today? Prayer is way more simple than we might think. God simply wants us to speak to him with honesty and sincerity. It's all about the meaning behind our words and the condition of our hearts as we pray. Jesus gave his disciples and all of us the Lord's Prayer as a beautiful example of how it is that we ought to pray. He shares it so that we could see a model for prayer. And his model comes down to the five P's. Praise, purpose, petition, pardon, and protection. Don't worry, we're going to dive into each of these specifically next week. But for now, here is a quick overview of the things Jesus says we should consider when we're praying. 1. We are to praise God, thanking him for our blessings. 2. We are to ask for purpose, seeking discernment and helping to make decisions that will align our lives to his will. 3. We are to petition him for healing or for whatever it is that we need. 4. We are called to ask for forgiveness or pardon, sharing those things we've done with him so that we no longer have to carry around the burden. 5. Lastly, we go to him for protection, for shelter, for comfort and peace through all of life's ups and downs. That's it. You'll soon come to discover that there is not one right way to pray. However, for those of us who are trying to start a prayer life, who need to revive or refocus our prayer lives a bit, who desire to get the most out of prayer, I can't think of any better example to turn to than Jesus himself. So hang tight. This series is going to lead us through the different types, ways, and reasons to pray.
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