TEXT: Luke 11:1-4 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.'”
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Truly, prayer is fundamental in the Christian life; it is so important because praying means connecting our lives, our needs, our weaknesses to the power of our God; it is CONNECTING OUR MATERIAL WORLD WITH THE SPIRITUAL REALM OF GOD’S KINGDOM.
Unfortunately, many Christians say, “They can’t pray,” “They don’t know what to say.” That’s why it’s crucial for us to learn to PRAY IN THE MANNER OF JESUS as we see in the Gospel of Luke.
TRULY, THE EXAMPLE OF PRAYER IN THE LIFE OF EVERY CHRISTIAN IS OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (Vs 1 A) It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place,
Being God, He prayed to commune with His Heavenly Father, having all the power and authority; He always sought ways to stay in touch with God.
THE BEST WAY TO PRAY IS IN THE MANNER OF JESUS (Vs 1 B), And it happened that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”
Many Christians want to pray like pastors, like preachers they see on YouTube, like those they see on TikTok; THEY WANT TO IMITATE THE FAITH AND WORDS OF OTHER CHRISTIANS, and that’s okay, BUT THE BEST WAY TO PRAY IS TO LEARN TO PRAY IN THE MANNER OF JESUS.
TO PRAY IN THE MANNER OF OUR LORD JESUS, WHAT DO WE NEED?
I) WE NEED TO PRAY WITH CONFIDENCE, RECOGNIZING THAT WE ARE TALKING TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER
(Vs 2 A), And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name.
Praying isn’t about using fancy and beautiful words to make the prayer sound impressive; praying is about speaking confidently the way a child speaks to their father.
The Word of God invites us to approach without fear, without shame, but with CONFIDENCE because we’re not coming before the throne of judgment or the throne of punishment, but we’re coming before our Heavenly Father; we’re coming to the THRONE OF GRACE where there’s always love and new opportunities for us (Hebrews 4:16) Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help at the time of our need.
II) WE NEED TO PRAY WITH FAITH, RECOGNIZING THAT WE’RE TALKING TO THE KING WHO HAS ALL AUTHORITY
(LUKE 11:2B) Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
When we pray, we must come with a heart FULL OF FAITH because we’re presenting ourselves before the One who has ALL AUTHORITY, who has ALL POWER.
When we pray, we’re talking to the One who CAN MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE; that’s why when we pray, we must not only present ourselves before the Lord with a needy heart, but primarily with a heart full of faith (Mark 11:24) Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.
We can see that to pray in the manner of Jesus, THE KEY IS NOT THE POSTURE, NOT THE PLACE, NOT THE TIME, BUT FAITH.
III) WE NEED TO PRAY WITH HUMILITY, RECOGNIZING THAT EVERYTHING OUR LIFE NEEDS IS IN HIM
(LUKE 11:3) ‘Give us each day our daily bread.
When we pray, we must present ourselves before the Lord with a humble heart, acknowledging our need before the Lord, recognizing that WE NEED HIS HELP IN THE MOST BASIC ASPECTS OF OUR LIVES, such as daily bread.
We must have Humility to acknowledge that EVERYTHING COMES FROM GOD from the smallest things, and to recognize that EVERYTHING WE HAVE, EVERYTHING WE ARE, AND WHERE WE GET IN LIFE IS BECAUSE OF GOD’S LOVE AND FAVOR UPON OUR LIVES (Psalm 103:4) Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
IV) WE NEED TO PRAY WITH SINCERITY, ACKNOWLEDGING OUR MISTAKES AND WEAKNESSES
(LUKE 11:4 A) ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
We must pray with a sincere heart, acknowledging that every day we need His forgiveness, that everything we ask for, everything we pray for, we do NOT TRUST IN OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS, OR IN OUR GOODNESS, but acknowledging GOD’S GOODNESS AND MERCY OVER OUR LIVES (Daniel 9:18) O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.
V) WE NEED TO PRAY WITH A HEART THAT WANTS TO PLEASE HIM, RECOGNIZING THAT ONLY WITH HIS HELP CAN WE WALK IN INTEGRITY
(LUKE 11:4B) ‘And do not lead us into temptation.
Just as we must be sincere to acknowledge our mistakes and weaknesses before the Lord, we must also present ourselves before Him with a heart that wants to please Him, that truly doesn’t want to fail Him, that longs to WALK IN INTEGRITY; that’s why we ask HIM TO DELIVER US FROM TEMPTATION AND EVIL.
