THE PRIVILEGE OF PRAYER

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.

“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him ( NKJV)!

The Bible has much to say about prayer. All the “great men” in the Bible were men of prayer. Enoch walked with God. Abraham walked with God in prayer. Moses prayed for forty days and nights. Christ spent all night in prayer. As He was alone with God He prayed, “Not my will, but thine be done.” The Bible tells us, “Pray without ceasing.”—. No one can be a successful Christian without praying.

I. A Pattern to follow—

A. The Request—v. 1. The Disciples ask Christ to teach them to pray. We should not ask to teach us HOW TO pray, but TO pray. As we pray daily, we will learn how.

B. The Rule—vv. 2–4. The model prayer, or “The Lord’s Prayer.”

1. The Father— “Our Father which art in heaven.”

2. The Name— “Hallowed be thy name.”

3. The Will— “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”

4. The Provision— “Give us this day our daily bread.”

5. The Forgiveness— “Forgive us our sins as we forgive others.”

6. The Prayer— “Lead us not into temptation.”

NOTE THIS PRAYER IS DIFFERENT THAN THE LORD’S PRAYER IN . It is good to pray the Lord’s prayer; however, we should learn to pray other prayers as well.

II. A Parable to ponder—

A. The Problem—vv. 5–6. A man needed bread. God is interested in all our needs and will meet them—. He does not give us all we want but will meet our every need—.

B. The Peril—v. 7. Not willing to help. Some people are so busy with self that they have no time to help other people. Notice the words in .

C. The Persistence—v. 8. Because of this man’s importunity/persistence, the man would rise and give him the needed bread.

1. A Accurate Friend—. This type of prayer would bring results.

2. An Abiding Friend—. Abiding in Christ.

3. An Affluent Friend -as many as he needs.

III. The Promises to believe—

A. Simple Promise—v. 9. Note the simple steps: Ask, seek, knock. Prayer is so simple that even a child may use it. Prayer is not only words. It is our heart’s condition before God.

B. Sure Promise—v. 10. Those who ask receive; those who seek find; and those who knock have the door opened unto them. God’s promises are sure—He will answer prayer!

C. Sincere Prayer—vv. 11–12. When a son asks for bread, the father does not give a stone. If the son asks for a fish, the father will not give him a serpent. GOD GIVES US WHAT WE ASK FOR, PROVIDING IT IS IN THE WILL OF GOD.

D. Steadfast Promise—v. 13. If earthly fathers give good gifts to their children, then how much more will God give good gifts to His children.

Don’t give up when you pray. God will answer, if you pray in His will. His promises are true— “God is not a man that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent. Hath He said, and shall He not do? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” Call upon God and He will answer you, and show you great and mighty things which you knows not—” . For each promise in the Bible there is a condition which we must meet. Make it a daily practice to pray!