PRAYER

Luke 11:1–13 KJV 1900

1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. 5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Matthew 6:9-13

Matthew 6:9–13 KJV 1900

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Luke 11:1

Matthew 7:7-11

Matthew 7:7–11 KJV 1900

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

How to Pray: Lessons from the Lord’s Prayer Chapter 1: Adoption

The Preface of the Lord’s Prayer (which is, OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN), teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us, and that we should pray with and for others

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

IT was the regular custom for a Rabbi to teach his disciples a simple prayer which they might habitually use. John had done that for his disciples, and now Jesus’ disciples came asking him to do the same for them.

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

This is Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer. It is shorter than Matthew’s but it will teach us all we need to know about how to pray and what to pray for.

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

The very first word tells us that in prayer we are not coming to someone out of whom gifts have to be unwillingly extracted, but to a father who delights to supply his children’s needs.

Luke 11:1 KJV 1900

1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 11:2 KJV 1900

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Luke 11:1

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

In Hebrew the name means much more than merely the name by which a person is called. The name means the whole character of the person as it is revealed and known to us.

Psalm 9:10 KJV 1900

10 And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: For thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

11:1

Psalm

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

That means far more than knowing that God’s name is Yahweh. It means that those who know the whole character and mind and heart of God will gladly put their trust in him.

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

We must note particularly the order of the Lord’s Prayer. Before anything is asked for ourselves, God and his glory, and the reverence due to him, come first. Only when we give God his place will other things take their proper place.

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

The prayer covers all life.

Luke 11:3 KJV 1900

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

Luke 11

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

(a) It covers present need. It tells us to pray for our daily bread; but it is bread for the day for which we pray.

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

This goes back to the old story of the manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16:11–21). Only enough for the needs of the day might be gathered. We are not to worry about the unknown future, but to live a day at a time.

The Gospel of Luke Teach Us to Pray (Luke 11:1–4)

As Cardinal Newman wrote in that well-loved hymn ‘Lead Kindly Light’:

I do not ask to see

The distant scene—one step enough for me.