“Lord, teach us to pray.” Luke 11:1
In a time of crisis, the first instinct and duty of a Christian believer is to pray. But what are we to pray? What are we to ask of God?
Prayer is an area in which all of us need to grow and where all who love Christ want to grow. There are some Christians who feel that they are experts in evangelism, or in men’s ministry, or in youth ministry, etc. But have you ever met a Christian who thinks that he or she is an expert in prayer?
All of us feel that we need to stand with the disciples in saying to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (11:1). Aren’t you glad that Jesus answered their question! “Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” (Matt. 6:9).
What we have here in the Lord’s Prayer is the Son of God Himself teaching us to pray! Who would not want to pull up a chair and hang on His every word? Our Lord tells us to ask for six things—three of them relate to God’s glory and three of them relate to our good.
In relation to God, we ask: 1) that His name will be honored, 2) that His kingdom will come, and 3) that His will should be done. In relation to ourselves, we ask: 4) that God will provide what we need, 5) that God will forgive our sins, and 6) that God will deliver us from evil.
Do you ever have a hard time praying to God? If so, what are some reasons why?