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1 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.” 2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ” 5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. 9 “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. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 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!” (Luke 11:1-13 NIV)
May this be a marvelous Monday for you and yours. Time to get renewed and refreshed in the Lord! I pray that this be part of that renewal for you.
This is the second Gospel that carries Jesus' prayer we call The Lord's Prayer. Set in a different context than Matthew's, this one has the disciples asking to be taught how to pray. Who taught you how to pray? Or, has no one taught you? One of the greatest compliments I ever got as a person, pastor and parent, was our oldest granddaughter writing that I was the one who taught her how to pray. Later, her mom said that when she prayed at night, she reminded her of me. I was taught by my grandmother, Petra, whom I called Momo. She was a woman of prayer, as were my mother and father, but when I needed a quick lesson in prayer, it was she who was there. My dog, who loved to chase cars, tried catching a Coca-Cola truck and the truck won. It was a futile prayer because all I could pray was, "Please don't let my dog die!", but it blessed the little boy as he cried.
The disciples watched Jesus as He prayed, and one or two of them, had been with John the Baptist first and had seen John teach his disciples how to pray. They had seen the importance of prayer, and they also saw the results of prayer, so they asked Jesus to be taught how to pray.
The prayer is very similar to the one from Matthew. Jesus teaches it the same way: God as Father, holy is His name; King of a kingdom that is coming here on the earth, Who provides the basic needs for all who pray. God as the One Who can forgive sins, ours as we ask, but who also have the same responsibility to forgive those who sin against us. And God has the power to lead us away from temptation. The prayer ends there, but the lesson is clear as shared above. The illustrations are important as Jesus shares; we all have friends among which, some of them come to ask something of us. If one asks us to share bread for visiting family from out-of-town, even at an odd hour, would we not help them? Especially if we know that friend to be persistent, the type who won't leave until they get what they want. Then the "secret" to prayer: "Ask and it will be given to you." "Seek and you will find." "Knock and the door will be opened to you." Be persistent in prayer, pray often, never give up, always trust God! Jesus then concludes with the example of a loving parent who would only give good gifts to their children. God, the ultimate awesome parent, will "give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him."
Prayer was one of Jesus' Holy Habits. The other was worship. I don't know what sort of habits you may have, but I will venture to say that none would compare to the blessings and benefits of prayer and worship. Prayer is the lifeblood of the Christian's life, It's like a direct hit of fresh oxygen when winded, a jolt of energy for the tired, and a rush of hope for the discouraged. Prayer is a combination of worship and praise. It's the direct line to the One who can change our perspective on things. The famous line, "I used to pray that God would change my situation; now I pray that God might change me."
The best lesson on prayer is simply to just pray! Prayer is just talking to God and then being open to listen to what God has to say to us. Let's get started!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, as I pray, teach me to be a person who worships, who praises, and who learns from You. I need this lifeblood and I want to lift up all who need Your blessings right now. May this become a holy habit of mine. This I pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Become a person of prayer who seeks to re-capture the power of prayer!
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
