Teach Me to Pray

Luke 11:1-4

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, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”

The story goes that Martin Luther was sitting for his regular haircut. His barber, also a member of his church, was a man named Peter. And on this occasion, Peter had a question for Luther. “How should I pray?”

In typical Lutherian fashion, Martin Luther didn’t just answer his question with a few simple words or instructions. He sat down and wrote a 64 page treatise on prayer (at least it is 64 in this edition). In it he recommends using not only the Lord’s Prayer, but even reading through the Ten Commandments and the Apostles’ Creed. Doing so brings to mind thoughts and ideas of what to pray.

We see that Jesus’ disciples also asked him how to pray. Apparently, they got the idea because they’d seen John the Baptist teach his followers to pray. In answer, Jesus gives them the Lord’s Prayer.

Do we have to use the Lord’s Prayer and only the Lord’s Prayer? Of course not. There are plenty of examples of the believers praying other prayers in the Bible. There are many ways to pray, whether it’s a prayer from the heart or a prayer someone wrote.

And we have this special comfort, too: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God …. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:26,27,34). Both the Spirit and the Son speak to the Father on our behalf. Indeed, “your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (Matthew 6:8).

Imagine! Parents might tire of their kids always asking them for something. But God tells us to ask him for anything, and he always means it, always answers for our eternal good, always has his ears open to our prayers for Jesus’ sake.

So, pray! God is listening.