Raising Disciples through Spiritual Practices

As Jesus walked alongside the Twelve, He taught them by example and instruction. They were with Him in the synagogue and witnessed His observance of the Sabbath. They heard Him teach about money and heard Him honor a widow who gave all she had to the Lord. They sang together, served together, and observed religious practices together. Amid this togetherness, the Gospels record numerous times that Jesus withdrew from the crowds and His disciples to pray, to spend time with God the Father through the power of God the Spirit. The Twelve had watched Jesus practice this habit and desired to learn from Him.

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.’”

This text is commonly referred to as the Lord’s Prayer, but a better title might be the Model Prayer because Jesus shares it with the disciples not necessarily so they will recite it but so they will use it as a model for prayer.

Jesus teaches them to pray directly to God as Father, a word of both respect and intimacy. The prayer then has two declarations to set the tone: awe (God is holy) and worship (“your kingdom come”). This is followed by three requests: The first recognizes that God provides for all our needs and asks for His provision each day; the second recognizes God’s forgiveness and acknowledges that a person who has been forgiven is to be a person who forgives others; the third is a request for spiritual protection to avoid sin and its power.

The disciples learned to pray, worship, serve, give, and practice other spiritual habits through observation, instruction, and participation. Every person who comes alongside a child can give them an opportunity to join them in their journey with Christ in these same ways.

Questions for Reflection

• How can you encourage your child in developing their prayer life and other spiritual practices?
• How can you create space through spiritual practices today to allow God’s work to be done in your life?