Scripture
Teaching about Prayer
1Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:[1]
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
3Give us each day the food we need,[2]
4and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.[3] ”
5Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.[4]
9“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
11“You fathers—if your children ask[5] for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Translation notes (5)
- 11:2 Some manuscripts add additional phrases from the Lord’s Prayer as it reads in Matt 6:9-13.
- 11:3 Or Give us each day our food for the day; or Give us each day our food for tomorrow.
- 11:4 Or And keep us from being tested.
- 11:8 Or in order to avoid shame, or so his reputation won’t be damaged.
- 11:11 Some manuscripts add for bread, do you give them a stone? Or [if they ask].
Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Sometimes the thought of praying to the God of the universe can feel daunting. After all, God is God, and we are mere humans. Sometimes our hearts are heavy, and we may not always know what to pray. Did you know that we can pray Scripture when we do not feel like we have the words? Scripture gives us words to pray when we do not know what to pray. As we pray these words, we can align our desires with God’s by praying the truth of Scripture.
We learn from Scripture that even Jesus’ disciples wanted to learn how to pray in Luke 11. One day, they said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (verse 1). Jesus granted their request. He immediately explained how we can pray when we do not have the words. This is a model prayer Jesus gave His disciples that day: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.” When we do not know what to pray, this prayer offered by Jesus can be a model for us. We can even pray this prayer in our own words, acknowledging God’s holiness and asking for provision, forgiveness for our sins, and for His help fighting against temptation. This, my friends, is a prayer that honors God and certainly aligns with all of the truths of Scripture. This is only one of the many passages of Scripture that provide us with words to pray. We can pray words found throughout the Bible. The Psalms are a great place to look to as well. When we do not have the words, we can turn to Scripture.
Maybe as we have been talking and learning about prayer today, you feel like you do not know where to start and how to pray. Turn to Scripture and pray words from Scripture. You can start with this prayer Jesus modeled in Luke 11 or turn to a Psalm. As you pray these words, you will find praying prayers aligning with God’s will grants you confidence as you pray.
Moving Toward Action
Today, your challenge is to pray Scripture. Choose whether to pray the prayer Jesus modeled in Luke 11 or choose a Psalm to pray through. May you be encouraged as you pray these words that are straight from the word of God.
Going Deeper
Luke 11:1-13
(NLT)
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