Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, 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!” (Luke 11:1-13)

Learning To Pray

The purity of prayer is realizing the promises of God and pleading for them. Prayer is a learned response to the knowledge of how the Father has opened up His heavenly storehouse of blessings to the yearnings of His children. There is no limitation to answered prayer save the heart of those who fail to implore the kindness of God to be showered upon them. Prayer is the relationship of persistence. A daily need is felt in prayer as the provisions of life are to be fed by the hand of God. To have a daily prayer life is the breath of life sustaining every part of the spiritual fiber of God’s children to seek Him, depend upon Him, know Him and love Him. The bonds of prayer clasp the armor of the Lord together as one unit fighting against the wiles of the devil.

Prayer is a learned response. There is no magic formula to praying or standard recital required in prayer. It is as simple as talking to God. Like any relationship, the beginning is awkward because of the magnitude knowing one is approaching the throne of the Almighty God and Father and Creator of the world. His majesty and glory is beyond comprehension and yet we are allowed to stand before Him and seek favors. The more we talk to God the more at ease we find His presence. He is full of love and mercy. His desire is not to bring fear into our lives where we are terrified to stand before Him. He is our Father and we honor His name with reverence and devotion. His will is all that matters as we bow to that word. Everything we have comes from the hand of God. He forgives us as we forgive others. We seek His power to defeat Satan and with the love of God we will be emboldened to rise against the devil and destroy him. Our Father is a powerful and loving Father.

Prayer is learning to be persistent. Love is the basis of our relationship with God and He wants to hear our voice. He knows our needs but we have to learn our needs are only met by the power of God. Persistence in prayer is a sign of the heart fully devoted to the will of the Father. There is a strong emotional bond that ties the heart of a tenacious seeker to the bounties of the heavenly storehouse. It is not a ‘one and done’ kind of relationship where we demand our blessings from God. He is not to be bullied. The Lord God wants to feel our love for Him in our persistent seeking His blessings so that He can give us more than we ask for. If we ask – He will give. When we seek Him – we will find Him. Without asking, there can be no blessings and if we fail to seek Him there can be no reward. Prayer is knocking on the door of a warehouse filled with blessings that have our names inscribed on them. Through the Holy Spirit, the Father will shower His love upon us.

Lord, teach us to pray.