The Importance of Prayerনমুনা

Jesus Taught Us to Pray

‘Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”’ Luke 11:1

Of everything the disciples had witnessed Jesus doing in His earthly ministry – from healing the sick, to multiplying food, to preaching sermons that attracted thousands – the one thing they asked Jesus to teach them was to pray.

But why was it prayer that they asked Jesus to teach them how to do?

I can just imagine them, the Twelve, standing a stone’s throw away from where Jesus was praying, eyes glued to Him as He communed with His heavenly Father.

What’s interesting about Luke 11:1 is that it tells us that the disciples presented their request to Jesus ‘when he finished’ praying. The passage almost seems to emphasise the fact that the disciples waited eagerly but patiently for Him to finish. But why?

I like how Reverend Edmund Chan puts it. He writes, “Something happened to the disciples while Jesus was praying. Something stirred deeply in their hearts. As they stood there watching their Master praying, it was deeply impressed upon their hearts how important the agenda of prayer was in the life of their Master… When you see a man of God praying, you feel that you stand on holy ground. How much more, when they saw the Son of God praying, must the disciples have stood riveted, waiting until the Master had finished before they burst forth with their urgent request, “Lord, teach us to pray.””

There must have been something magnetic, something beautiful, and something so different about Jesus’ prayer time with His heavenly Father! Whatever the disciples had witnessed, it was not what they already knew of prayer. It was new and they wanted what Jesus had for themselves.

Dear friend, prayer should be so important to us as Jesus’ disciples because it was so important to Jesus. If it was the only thing that Jesus specifically taught His first disciples to do, then we too must learn how to pray. As we become more aware of how important the agenda of prayer is to Jesus, so too will we come to know how important the agenda of prayer is to us.

As we reflect today on the disciples’ eagerness to learn to pray, may we ask the same of ourselves. May we ask the Spirit of God to show us the beauty of prayer and to stir up a greater desire within us to learn to pray.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus,

To You, prayer was profoundly important. It was the way You communed with Your Father in heaven. It was Your joy and Your delight to be with Him and to seek Him in prayer. Today, I pray that I will come to understand how important the agenda of prayer is. I humbly ask that You increase my desire to learn how to pray. May the request of my heart be, “Lord, teach me to pray.”

In Your mighty name, Jesus, I pray, amen.