Learning to Pray
- Strength For Life
- Jul 27
- 3 min read
The words of Scripture matter. In the passage where Jesus describes the model prayer, the disciples first asked Jesus to teach them about prayer. In asking, they didn’t say “teach us how to pray,” but instead “teach us to pray.” Like with the disciples, the biggest problem with the prayer life of most Christians is less that we don’t know how to pray; it’s more that we don’t pray.
In Luke 11:1 the disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray as John also taught his disciples.” It seems that John the Baptist’s disciples had a reputation for being prayer warriors, while Jesus’ disciples knew that they were weak in prayer. Perhaps they would fall asleep as they prayed, or they kept inconsistent prayer habits. Many of us today are just like Jesus‘ original disciples. We also struggle with inconsistency in our prayer life. In Luke 11, those disciples humbly asked Jesus to help them achieve a regular prayer life. Their request can be ours as well.
How did Jesus answer their request? I suggest that He basically said three things. First, He gave them several specific petitions to pray (vv. 2-4). These petitions are often emphasized from this passage. But, second, Jesus taught them to pray with “importunity” (v. 8).
Someone who lacks importunity will ask God for something for a time, and then quit praying. Jesus instructed the opposite attitude; his disciples would pray with a measure of boldness and shamelessness. That’s what importunity means. Jesus is saying not to ask God once, but to keep asking. Don’t just petition God once, Jesus says; keep seeking. He tell us, “Don’t just knock once on His throne room door, but keep knocking.” This is what it means to pray with importunity.
If you are brokenhearted over a wayward child, I encourage you to pray with importunity. If you are confused or concerned about a health situation, pray with importunity. If you are disappointed over the direction of our beloved country, pray for the USA with importunity. Whatever is overwhelming your heart, keep asking, keep knocking, and keep seeking!
Third, Jesus told His disciples to pray like a son, not like a friend. In verses 5-13, Jesus illustrated the difference between a man making a request from his friend and a son making a request from his father. amilial love is deeper love than friendship love. It is much easier to tell a friend “no” than your child, for whom you have a sense of responsibility.
Dear Christian, if you have been saved, you have been adopted into the family of God (Rom 8:14-17). You are His child and He is your Father. Personally, I want to help my friends when they have needs; so much the more does a good father want to provide abundantly for his children when they have needs.
It is interesting to me that in verse 5 as Jesus begins this illustration, He starts with the phrase, “which of you shall have a friend.” But then, in verse 11, Jesus says, “if a son shall ask bread.”
Relationship matters more than the request, so the relationship influences the response. I’m saying that our position as sons is what allows us to receive provision from our Father. A man usually has other friends he can request things from, but each of us only has one father. I am the only earthly father that my children have, and I am responsible for providing for their needs.
We only have one Heavenly Father, and we as Christians are His children. If earthly fathers “know how to give good gifts to their children, how much more shall your heavenly father give good things to them that ask him” (verse 13)?
So pray like a son, not like a friend.
In summary, when the disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray," Jesus’ answer was essentially, “Make sure you request the right things from your Father (the things listed in verses 2-4), and pray with importunity. Don’t forget to pray like a son not a friend.” After all, dear Christian, you are “joint heirs with Christ,” and you have received “the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, ‘Abba father’.“
Apply these biblical ideas and allow Jesus’ teaching from Luke 11 to be strength for your prayer life.
The above article was written by James C. Johnson. He is the pastor of NorthStone Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL. To offer him your feedback, comment below or email us at strengthforlife461@gmail.com.
Every Tuesday, SFL publishes relevant Bible-based content. Check back next Tuesday to read the next SFL article.
Comments