Lord, teach us to pray

"...It came to pass, that, as he (Jesus) was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." Luke 11:1

Christian, would you consider yourself to be a person of prayer? Am I a person of prayer?

Shouldn't it be that every single one of us that names the name of Christ be a person of prayer?

Would to God that we would be a people that continually cried out to the true and living LORD!


...it seems as if we do not need to cry out to Him though.

Why do I say this?

Because here in the states it seems as if we do not need Him; We don't need His help.

What! Why would I say such a thing?

Well...

We have such an abundance of everything here in America: money, food, drink, clothing.

We have a wealth of good knowledge from all kinds of sources: Bible Colleges, Christian schools, Seminaries, A vast library of Christian study tools, Christian literature, Bible teachers, and the average Christian here has at least 5 bibles each. (These are good, but they should never take precedence over our Lord, knowing Him, and praying to Him.)

We also have philosophies of men, Church growth strategies, promotion of self and our own potential for health and success, traditions and rituals.

We have occupied so much of our time as well, with: activities galore, entertainment, and other means of bringing ourselves pleasure.

And don't forget our visa or mastercard! (Sorry to be a bit cynical, but it's true.)


Seriously though, do we need Him?

Well of course we need Him! In reality we should be desperate for Him, from sunup to sundown and everything in between. All of these other things will pass away some day...the Eternal God always remains.

Look at the cry of this Psalmist:

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" Psalm 42:1-2

Christian, is this your cry?


Truly, more and more, it seems as if crying out to the LORD has been lost from many of the churches here in the states.

I believe that many of us need to learn how to pray. We need to humble ourselves before our Lord and ask Him to teach us to pray.

And look, He has given us His words to teach us! These are living words from our Lord which teach our souls how to pray:

"And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil..." Luke 11:2-4

(Continued)

"...For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Matthew 6:13b

Called by His name, desiring to seek His face and pray,

One Clay Soldier among many