Lord Teach Us To Pray Part 2 of 2

Preached by Rev. Ed Brouwer at The Gathering Place, Osoyoos

Pulpit Series Volume 20 Issue 12 June 27th, 2010

Background: the disciples grew up with prayer. Being Jewish men they would have participated in saying regular prayers. Yet when they watched Jesus pray they knew something was missing in their experience.

Jesus prayed as though he was fed by it.

Jesus prayed as though his life depended on it.

Jesus prayed as though the plan of God depended on it.

One day after Jesus finished one of his prayer times the disciples gathered around and asked, "Lord, teach us to pray." What they meant was "Lord, can you teach us to pray like that?"

Jesus knew better than anyone that prayer is an expression of our relationship with the Father.

Listen to what millions of Christians do at a meal time, they ask God to bless their food. 

Sounds right, yet God shows us something a little different in        Exodus 23:25.

“And you shall serve the LORD your God and He shall bless your bread and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you.”

Getting back to Matthew 6 we find that Jesus gave the disciples practical guidance for approaching God. He knew that an understanding of and passion for prayer would develop as they spent time with God in this way.

He replied to their request, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

Matthew 6:9–13, Luke 11:2–4

For some unknown reason we seem to have set this prayer aside for our children, or joint prayer during corporate worship. But if we only use the prayer at these times, we do not fully understand the gift Jesus gave.

Jesus’ audience was not a group of children that day. His disciples were a mixed bag of men.

Jesus was teaching muscular, leathered fisherman to pray.

Jesus was teaching the professional tax collector to pray.

This prayer had to cross personalities, ages, cultures, jobs as well as teach this unusual collection of men how to pray just like Jesus.

It wasn’t so much that the disciples wanted Jesus to teach them how to pray, as it was that they wanted Him to teach them how to pray like He did!

They wanted him to teach them because when he prayed:

A single portion of food fed multitudes; the lame walked and the blind saw; the dead were raised: the glory of God was revealed.

He didn't tell them how many times a day to pray, or what postures to use when they prayed.

His reply teaches the basics of prayer, and provides the foundation for an effective prayer life.

This was a prayer into which the disciples could grow.

None of us ever grow out of it.

This prayer is complete. It encompasses all of the ways we do and should relate to the Father,

Jesus’ answer when we ask him to teach us to pray is the same as he gave the disciples that day.

Great blessings await those of us who are willing to spend a lifetime learning to pray as Jesus taught us.

What did Jesus mean when he said we were to pray like this?

Did he mean that we should be certain to use his words?

Maybe, but I believe he means more than that. He means that when we pray we are to understand, seek and cling to our father who dwells in the heavens.

He means that when we pray we are to learn to ask him for every thing we need, and then learn total dependence on him.

He means that when we pray we learn to receive and give forgiveness.

He means that we ask for his provision in faith, even if we do not know how he will provide.

He means that our lives change so that our prayers are full and honest expressions of what Jesus is giving and teaching in these words.

Praying his will requires the courage that only faith can bring.

Think about it, you and I need to be radically changed by God in order to fully pray this way.

Interestingly, it is as we honestly pray this prayer that we will experience the very changes we need to in order to enter into it more fully.

Matthew 6:5-18 (Message)

And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?

Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

“The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant.

They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense.

This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
    Reveal who you are.
    Set the world right;
    Do what's best— as above, so below.
    Keep us alive with three square meals.
    Keep us forgiven with you and

forgiving others.
    Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
    You're in charge!
    You can do anything you want!
    You're ablaze in beauty!
       Yes. Yes. Yes.

"In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.

"When you practice some appetite-denying discipline to better concentrate on God, don't make a production out of it. It might turn you into a small-time celebrity but it won't make you a saint. If you 'go into training' inwardly, act normal outwardly. Shampoo and comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face. God doesn't require attention-getting devices. He won't overlook what you are doing; he'll reward you well.