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.” (Luke 11:1-4)
Thought: Have you ever asked God to teach you how to
pray? After spending more than a year with Jesus, something prompted this
request by one of the disciples. What do you think was going on in the lives
and thoughts of the disciples that would lead them to think they needed help?
All Christians are called to prayer. Only prayer can
satisfy the hunger of our souls. It also changes us as we enter into the depths
of our own hearts. It strips away only what impedes love. Those who pray can
then become lanterns of love for others seeking the way through the darkness of
their own lives. Lent is a time to learn to pray, to love, and to live our
lives more fully in communion with God.
It is really sad that we know the truth, we think we
know the truth, we think we feel the truth, but we go on with our day to day living
putting ourselves first, and only turning to the Lord when we need Him. For
many years, I had a tendency to complicate things by relying on my own strength
and wisdom rather than God’s. Only when a major event touched my life was I
forced to fully rely on Him. When you almost loose a parent or child that means
the world to you and you are asking with all your heart for His help, that’s
when the reality of His realness, that’s when he becomes yours, that is the
point in my life when he became everything. That is when I put self second and
God first.
Today, I know that only through prayer can I get the help and
guidance I need. I hunger and desire for more and more prayer. In fact, it is
the place where I find all that I need, my real home. I now understand that a
person can no more survive without prayer then survive without air.
If Jesus was teaching us to pray today, I am sure he
would tell us to talk to God—out loud—just like we are talking to a close friend,
and then listen for his guidance and obey.
Prayer: Jesus, help me learn how to listen and talk
to you. Amen.
Questions:
1. In
an average 24 hour day, how much time do you actually invest in praying?
2. How
often is God a part of your thoughts? Do you have Him everywhere you go?
