It is hard to imagine what it must have been like to have been one of the twelve disciples walking daily with Jesus. It had to have made an indelible impression on them to be around him and observe His ways. It is interesting that out of all the things they could have asked Jesus, they asked Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-4). Being around him made them realize the importance of having a prayer life. They watched him handle all kinds of situations as well as deal with opposition. The disciples realized the key to His power and effectiveness was his prayer life.
His response to their request was what we know as The Lord’s Prayer. It was the pattern for how they should pray. It is also the pattern we are to use in prayer as well.
Jesus was not saying that when we pray, we should merely repeat the prayer verbatim, but rather these are the elements that should be addressed when we pray. The Lord’s Prayer reminds us that:
- God is Intentional. He has a plan for your life. He wants His purpose to be fulfilled through you. He is rooting for you. Praying keeps us aware of what He means to us. He is our helper. He provides and protects us from evil. He strengthens us daily. Most importantly, because Prayer is two-way communication. When we are communicating continuously with the Father, we stay aware of the condition of our heart and His Presence!
- God is revelatory. He brings to light things that are normally under the surface. He gives us wisdom, knowledge, and discernment regarding our specific situations and circumstances.
- And most of all God is relational. The prayer starts with OUR FATHER! He loves us unconditionally. The Father wants an intimate relationship with us. His desire is for the fellowship to be on a continual basis. The more we pray the more power and strength we will receive. My grandmother use to say baby girl “No Prayer. No Power”. “Little Prayer. Little Power”. “Much Prayer. Much Power!”
