Luke 11

"Lord teach us to pray." Luke 11:1b

Prayer is as essential to our spiritual well-being as breathing is to our physical well-being. Luke chapter eleven verse one tells us that one day one of Jesus' disciples came to Jesus and said, "Lord, teach us to pray."  Jesus then gave His disciples the Lord's prayer as an example prayer to help them in their prayer lives.  The Lord's prayer continues to be a wonderful example for us today in how to pray.

Our prayers should always include worship and praise for our great and awesome Lord.  The first thing Jesus said in His prayer to His heavenly Father in Luke 11:2 was "hallowed be Your name, Your kingdom come."  So often we rush into our prayers asking for things.  God desires that we ask for things from Him; but we must also not forget to spend time in worship, praise, and thanks to the Lord.  We must praise and worship Him for all He is in His being and character, and then we must thank Him for all His bountiful blessings in our lives.

Notice the Lord Jesus also says, "Your kingdom come."  It should be our supreme desire that the Lord's will is done on this earth and in heaven.  Our lives should not be about our self-centered whims and desires.  Our lives should be centered on bringing about the Lord's will on this earth and in our lives.  Our lives should be centered on bringing glory and praise to the Lord.

Our prayers also can and must include asking the Lord to meet our daily needs.  In Luke 11:3 Jesus prayed, "Give us each day our daily bread."  "Daily bread" includes more than our food.  It includes all our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.  It is good and necessary for us to ask the Lord for our needs.  In doing this we show our trust in the Lord and our reliance on Him to meet our every need.  This dependence on the Lord and not on our perceived resources is pleasing to the Lord.

Our prayers also must include prayers for forgiveness for our sins.  Jesus said in Luke 11:4, "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.  And lead us not into temptation."  We need to daily confess our sins to the Lord.  We need to daily ask for His forgiveness.  We also need to ask for the Lord's strength to grow in holiness and Christ-likeness in our lives.

Notice that Jesus' prayer asks for forgiveness from God for our sins, as we forgive others their sins against us.  If we are not willing to forgive the petty little things others do against us, how can we ask the Lord to forgive the magnitude of our sins against the Almighty God?  Finally, we also need to ask the Lord to keep us from the devil's temptations all around us.

After Jesus gave His disciples the Lord's prayer as an example prayer, He told them a parable about prayer.  In this parable the Lord Jesus taught His disciples the need to be bold and persistent  in prayer.  Jesus said in verses nine and ten of  Luke chapter eleven, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

Jesus went on to say in verse thirteen, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"  The Lord desires and longs for us to come to Him in prayer.  He desires to heap His blessings and good gifts on us.  He especially desires to give us His spiritual gifts and the work of His Holy Spirit on our lives.  If we who are sinful give good gifts to our children, the Lord God will surely give us His best and choicest gifts.  We can and must be bold and persistent in approaching Him in prayer for our needs.  We serve a loving and faithful God who desires to meet our needs, as we approach Him in humbleness and trustful dependence!