A Year in Luke/ActsNäide

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Throughout scripture, this is the only time the disciples asked Jesus to teach them. In the life and ministry of Jesus, this was his regular practice of communion with God.

Even on the cross, Jesus prayed for mercy on those who crucified him (Luke 23:34). Therefore we must follow his example and do the same. Jesus teaches us what to pray: the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:2-4); how to pray: persistently (Luke 11:5-9) and encourages prayer: that if even man who is evil gives good gifts, how much more does our Heavenly Father want to give good gifts to his children (Luke 11:10-13)

N.T Wright says in his book Luke for Everyone:
“There is a battle on, a fight with the powers of darkness, and those who have glimpsed the light are called to struggle in prayer – for peace, for reconciliation, for wisdom, for a thousand things for the world and the church, perhaps a hundred or two for one’s own family, friends and neighbors, and perhaps a dozen or two for oneself.”

Let’s remember who we are calling on in prayer and all He has done and promises to do. When we do that, what can we bring before God with great urgency and persistence?