Lord, Teach Us To Pray

Jesus taught His disciples to pray worshipfully, persistently, and expectantly.

The Pattern of Prayer

P - Praise (Our Father in heaven)

The Majesty of God.

Psalm 8:1–2 ESV

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

The Provision of God

Psalm 65:9–11 ESV

You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.

The Sovereignty of God

Daniel 2:20–23 “Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might. He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding; he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him. To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.””

R - Request (Give us this day)

Philippians 4:6–7 ESV

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

A - Acknowledge (Forgive us our sins)

Psalm 51 and 1 John 1:9. We must acknowledge our own sin before the Lord, but we also need to forgive others of their sin against us.

Y - Yield (Lead us not into temptation … but deliver us)

This request implies that we are being led by the Lord, therefore we must be yielded to Him.

Romans 12:1–2 ESV

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

God leads those who are listening to Him.

Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Ten: Learning Life’s Lessons (Luke 11)

It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth. Prayer is not telling God what we want and then selfishly enjoying it. Prayer is asking God to use us to accomplish what He wants so that His name is glorified, His kingdom is extended and strengthened, and His will is done

The Persistence of Prayer

The parable of the shameless neighbor.

The point: if a neighbor can be moved to action by a shameless persistent knock, how much more can we expect that our Father who loves us will hear our prayer.

The urgency of the request compelled the man to continue asking and knocking.

In the parable, the man just wants his problem to go away, so he gives him what was requested. Jesus then commended urgency and consistency in prayer.

The verb tense indicate the keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.

The Promise of Prayer

A good father gives his children what is good for them, not what will harm them.

Make your request to God expectantly. He is a Perfect Father. His gift is perfect.

The Holy Spirit is granted to those who request salvation by faith in Christ!

He is a guide, a counselor, a comforter.