Jesus Teaches To Pray
And 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. Luke 11: 9.
How has this all come about? Was there something significant and special, which prompted and precipitated these words of Jesus, at this particular time? O yes there was!
We know that Jesus is a Rabbi, a Teacher, and His calling requires many duties, foremost of which is to teach in all things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
On this specific occasion, Jesus is praying in a certain place, most likely a remote place somewhere, as He is known to always do. When He was through praying, one of His disciples asks Him to teach them to pray. Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. Luke 11: 1b. That disciple, on behalf of all the other disciples, wants to be taught to pray as Jesus’ cousin John, has taught his students to pray.
Let’s stand firmly on some facts here. Prayer is not foreign to the disciples of Jesus. The disciple who asked Jesus to teach them all to pray, is not inferring by any means that they are ignorant of prayer and need teaching about prayer. He is not saying that Jesus has been a Teacher who has not made prayer a priority for them. He is not even saying that John is a better teacher than Jesus, for John’s disciples have been taught by their teacher to pray and they have not. Nothing of the sort!
Having been schooled on this by our Lord Himself, we are to note that it was Jesus’ praying, which prompted this constraining, passionate and frankly, sweet, childlike request, for their Master to teach them all to pray. They must have suddenly come to a spiritual awakening of prayer, personal prayer, as special and absolutely magnificent. This is certainly not the first time they are with Jesus when He prays to His Father. This is not the first time that they waited on Jesus, while He prayed earnestly, reverently and thankfully to the Father. Yet, this is the first time that as soon as Jesus says His, Amen, as it were, a disciple asks for them to be taught specifically, to pray.
From the onset of this learning, thanksgiving reigns and rules. Here are but a few facts. The disciple, asking on behalf of the others, asks to be taught to pray, after seeing the Person who leads them, praying. Does this not bring thankfulness to our hearts also? Are we not to be forever thankful that we too can ask our Leader, Master and Teacher, to teach us to pray, because we see Him praying and know Him as praying? Additionally, we are thankful for we know that our Master and Teacher will never engage in anything that is questionable, dubious or not to be trusted. It is because we know that He believed in prayer and prayed always, we are grateful for such a great, Living Testimony. We are also thankful about this, most of all that Jesus is willing to teach us to pray. Prayer, to God the Father, is nothing of humans. Prayer is of God, to God and by God. That Jesus would condescend to teach us His Way in prayer and of prayer is most heart-warming, comforting and stabilizing. Our hearts are very thankful to know that Jesus, the Master of prayer, is teaching us to pray.
Finally, and this does not mean the end of our thanksgiving, but this is the last shout of thanksgiving I offer you in this meditation. We are sinners, ignorant about all the things of God and totally mistaken about them. This is no different with prayer. Often, we come to prayer in our own understanding and strength and so we forfeit the promises given to us in prayer. We need forgiveness and to be taught anew and aright in prayer.
Comments