What Jesus Taught Us About Praying

In the scripture accounts of Jesus we do not find that Jesus actually taught his disciples how to preach, but He did teach them how to pray.  Jesus placed a high priority on prayer.  He frequently separated himself from the disciples to pray to the Father.  In Matthew 6:5-8 He instructed us in what to avoid when we pray.  He then gave us specific guidance on what we should include when we pray (in the form of the Lord’s prayer, Matthew 6:9-13).  Jesus also used parables to teach us.  Two of his parables focused on prayer - Luke 11:5-13 which encourages us to be bold and ask for what we seek and Luke 18:1-8 which encourages us to be persistent in our requests for justice.  

Anyone who is a Christian and seeks to obey what Jesus taught us should learn how to pray and participate in regular prayer to our Father.  God not only welcomes us in prayer, He is waiting for us to pray.  

What is Prayer

Prayer is a spiritual communication between man and God - typically consisting of adoration (praising God), thanksgiving (thanking God for our blessings), confession of our sins (and asking forgiveness), and supplication (asking for God’s help).  

Prayer is vital for our spiritual growth just as food is vital for out physical growth.  Prayer allows us to focus on God and listen for guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Prayer is a key to being able to develop a relationship with God.  God desires to develop the relationship with us and is available any time.  It is up to us to spend time to communicate with God in regular prayer.

According to Romans 8:26, the Holy Spirit helps us communicate with God - “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

We pray for a lot of things—some good, some bad, some really pointless. But God listens to all of our prayers, regardless of what we ask (Matthew 7:7). He does not ignore His children (Luke 18:1-8). When we talk to Him, He has promised to listen and respond (Matthew 6:6 and Romans 8:26-27). His answer may be some variation of “yes” or “no” or “wait, not now.”

God has promised that, when we ask for things that are in accordance with His will for our lives, He will give us what we ask for (1 John 5:14-15).

Prayer is an opportunity for us to communicate with the creator of the universe, the king of kings, the source of truth and all wisdom.  Learning to listen to God is part of communicating with Him.  Often we struggle to discern God’s voice as He rarely speaks audibly and directly.  Most often He speaks through the Scriptures.  Sometimes He directs us through events, or we receive guidance through other believers, or we receive an internal conviction (the Holy Spirit), or dreams, or pain.

 Most of us have trouble with praying.  We are easily distracted, or confused, or stumble over what to say, or just don’t make it a priority.  We may feel ashamed or uncomfortable because of our sins or the struggles we are experiencing.  Or we may unable to believe that God cares and can help us.  

 Prayer is one of the greatest opportunities, one of the greatest privileges and one of the greatest ministries available to all Christians.

Daniel’s Prayer of Repentance for His Nation is an Example For Us - 

Read Daniel 9:4-19