Lord Teach Us to Pray: The 5 R’s of Prayer

Text: Luke 11:1

Introduction:I think it would be easy for all of us to agree that prayer is one of the most essential parts of our spiritual life. Along with reading the word of God, there is no other way of truly encountering God’s heart. When you ask a Christian what prayer means to them, they could wax eloquent for 20 minutes about the importance of their prayer life. But if you had any way of checking how much time they actually spent in prayer, you would find that most of us don’t spend the time in prayer they claim to or should.

I don’t say this to point fingers or make accusations tonight. I’m just addressing a reality that I have experienced in 7 years as a Christian and 3 years in youth ministry. In fact, studies have shown that only 16% of Christian pastors are satisfied with their prayer life. Christians don’t have the prayer life they should have because:

· They don’t understand the importance of prayer.

· They don’t invest the time necessary into cultivating the lifestyle.

· They have wrong ideas and concepts of how to pray.

This isn’t a new problem. In fact, 2000 years ago in the times of Jesus, people faced the same problem.

Now, before we move forward, we must first get a basic understanding of the importance and power of prayer:

· We pray to cultivate our relationship with God

· We pray to experience God’s presence

· We pray to receive God’s answer & know God’s will

· We pray to have God take action

You see in the Gospels countless time where Jesus would depart from his disciples, and take time to pray. All throughout his ministry Jesus demonstrated that he understood the importance of prayer. But further, he understood the time it takes to cultivate the relationship. If you don’t talk to GOD you can’t get to know GOD.

Jesus also had the right ideas and concepts about how to pray. In the days of Jesus, the religious leaders (Pharisees) had turned prayer into a religious activity. They believed in praying a certain way, at a certain time, in a certain place without deviation. The trouble with this is when prayer becomes a duty you must fulfill it takes away the relational element. It is the same today as it was 2000 years ago. Religious systems and the culture of this world have made prayer into something that it isn’t.

If we understand the importance of prayer, and we understand the investment required to cultivate the relationship all we must do is begin to communicate with GOD. But many of us, have never asked the question that the disciples ask here in Luke 11:1

Luke 11:1 “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.’”

Who better to ask that the son of God? Jesus’ disciples had seen his miracles, they had heard his teaching, but the one thing they asked him was teach us to pray!

TEACH US TO PRAY!

TEACH US HOW TO ACCESS HEAVEN!

TEACH US HOW TO HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD THE FATHER!

People often say to me as a pastor “I don’t know how to pray” or “I don’t know what to say.”

And understandably so! When the bible calls God the King of Kings but also calls us his friends, how do you know how to approach him?

Jesus answers the disciples’ question with what has become known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” (Matthew 6:9-13)

9. In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

10.Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

11.Give us this day our daily bread.

12.And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.

13.And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Thesis: In Matthew 6:9-13 gives us a clear pattern for prayer. It is not a religious formula that we must say word for word. It is a pattern of attitudes and actions that brings clarity to the objective of prayer. When we understand the pattern of prayer that Jesus gave, and practice it in our own conversations with God, we can begin to cultivate the lifestyle of prayer.

Transition: The 5 R’s of prayer are:

I. Recognition

a. Our Father in heaven…

b. Recognize whom it is you are speaking to. This can be “Father God,” “Lord Jesus,” “Dear Lord,” whatever you want it to be.

c. You’re not just talking to yourself or to a friend at school, you are talking to the living God; the creator of heaven and earth.

II. Reverence

a. Hallowed be Your name.

b. Hallowed means HOLY

c. Give God the reverence and worship that he is due for who He is, what He has done, and for what He is going to do!

III. Respect

a. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

b. First and foremost, God, let your will be done! Have it your way!

c. Give God the respect he is do by putting his will and kingdom first.

IV. Request

a. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.

b. Make your request known to God!

c. God promises that he will give us the desires of our heart when we pray according to his will!

V. Release

a. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

b. Release is giving it all back to God and telling him that its all about him!

c. Amen: so be it! May my prayer come to pass.

Close: For some of you in this room, this is all new. You have never been taught how to pray before and didn’t know what to say to God. There’s no secret to it, and there’s no formula or specific prayer you must pray. But Jesus provides for us the pattern to follow. We must recognize God for who he is, revere him with our praises, respect his will and power, make our request, and release it knowing that God answers prayers.

For others in this room, you have been praying since you were 2 years old. It’s almost second nature to you. You don’t even have to think about it. But there are times when things get rough and I don’t even have the words to say. I know I should pray but I don’t know where to begin. It’s in those moments that I cling to the simple principles behind the 5 R’s and start recognizing God for who he is, revering him with my praises ( even when I don’t feel like it,) and respecting his will and his power. There are times when I am so dumbfounded by my situation that I don’t know what to ask God. So I simple respect that he is in control, that he has the power and He knows what’s best for me and I release it unto him.

It’s simple. But when we begin to walk this out in our everyday lives and begin to have that open communication with God, it cultivates the lifestyle of prayer. And there is so much power in prayer, as we will learn in the weeks ahead.