Part 1 - Lord, Teach us to Pray (Luke 11:2-4)
* There are many misconceptions about Prayer, so it is important to know that:
1. we are all called to pray;
2. the Bible is our guide;
3. you learn by doing it (just do it!);
4. your prayer changes as you grow in God, He will guide you.
Jesus was very much engaged in ministry when Luke 11 happened: He sends the 70 out, they come back amazed at all that happens. Jesus affirms their authority and reminds them that the most important thing is that their names are written in heaven.
Let’s learn how to pray from Jesus Himself:
1. He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, => reverence; recognize God's supremacy. The most important thing, the priority is in the beginning of the prayer.
2. your kingdom come => What is the Kingdom of God? righteousness, peace & joy in the Holy Ghost.
3. Give us each day our daily bread => Luke 4:4 (Jesus used this when He tested in the wilderness. He got it from the Old Testment: "He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." (Deuteronomy 8:3 NIV). See the importance of using God’s Word to fight and in your prayers?
4. Forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. => Definition: Forgiveness is the setting of one's will, the making of a decision (a decree, a decision at the spiritual level) that a release is granted to the offending person or situation (sometimes it's an organization or a body of people more than just an individual.) Remember to always study the subject of Forgiveness as a believer. We MUST forgive, that’s what God says.
5. And lead us not into temptation.'" => Other translations say “ Evil one”, I translate as "the Tempter." Jesus delivered us from evil on the cross. Notice how Jesus doesn’t spend most of His prayer worried about the Devil and neither should we. Recognize the supremacy of the Father as a priority, the enemy should be the least of your worries.
We’re all called to pray, there are no “prayer super heroes.” Jesus shows us how we are to pray and we are encouraged to pray The Lord’s prayer with understanding and make it a habit to follow Jesus’ example of praying without cesing.
Questions to ponder:
• Are your prayers vertical or horizontal? Do they focus most on your problems or in the supremacy of God?
• Do you seek God's "daily bread" often? How so?
• When was the last time you studied what the Bible says about Forgiveness? What have you learned recently about what God says in this topic?
• Do you find yourself scared of the enemy in your prayers? What does God have to say about that?
• What can you learn from Jesus and apply to your prayer life?
Next Topic: “Spirit, help us to Pray” (Romans 8:26-27)
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