Lord, Teach us to Pray

April 16

On January 23, we looked at the Lord’s Prayer in John 17. Today, we read the Disciples’ Prayer. As I said in January, John 17 is the prayer that Jesus prayed for His disciples and their disciples. Here, in Luke 11, we encounter a disciple who asks Jesus to teach them to pray, just as John the Baptizer had taught His disciples to pray.

The chapter begins with Jesus praying in a certain place. Of course He was praying! Jesus was always praying. Dr. Luke doesn’t tell us where this certain place was, but we do know that Jesus often withdrew to deserted places to pray. (Luke 5:16)

Both John and his relative Jesus taught their disciples one of the most important spiritual disciplines: spending time with God in prayer. Prayer can take many different forms, depending on the situation and need. Here, Jesus gives us a pattern that can be adapted. Unfortunately, many people feel that something magical happens when they merely recite the words of The Lord’s Prayer. When we approach this model prayer that way, the prayer Jesus taught can become the very thing He warned us against—thinking that God hears us just because of the words we speak. (See Matthew 6:7)

In Matthew, Jesus addressed three specific areas of the spiritual life using the phrases when you give, when you pray, and when you fast. The Disciples’ Prayer appears here in the prayer section of Matthew 6:5–18. When the unnamed disciple asks Jesus to teach them to pray, Jesus begins His response with the word whenever. This is crucial because prayer should be a common activity for believers. It is never a question of if but when a believer prays.

Notice, though, that Jesus begins His example prayer with praise of Who God is. In the beginning of the prayer, Jesus simply sets His focus on God Himself, echoing yet another pattern of prayer that can be found in the Psalms also, as David says,
“Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and bless His name.” (Psalm 100:4)

Following His model prayer, Jesus applies His teaching by emphasizing that, as we ask God for our requests, as we seek God in prayer, and as we knock on the doors of heaven, our asking, seeking, and knocking is a continuing activity. The Greek verb form Jesus uses is a command to keep doing this. In other words, we don’t just ask, seek, and knock once. We keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep right on knocking, remembering that God promises to respond.

Sometimes, it takes a while to receive an answer to our prayers. God’s answer will not always be immediate or according to our specific requests. Sometimes, God’s answer is, “No,” but no is still an answer. “Wait” is also an answer. In my experience, wait is perhaps the most difficult answer He gives.

We want what we want when we want it! But, we must remember that God’s plans and timing are always perfect. (Isaiah 55:8–9) Waiting is not a passive activity either. Waiting can and should be active. As we wait, God oftentimes will refine our prayer to bring it in line with His desires. (Psalm 37:4) And, until God gives His answer, Jesus tells us to continue praying in faith, believing and trusting that God will come through in His ways and in His timing. (Mark 11:24)

Jesus then turns to the Kingdom of God. He says, “If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:20, CSB)

Yes, the Kingdom of God has not yet been fully consummated, but His Kingdom is already here. The Kingdom of God arrived when the King showed up on our planet. We don’t have to wait until “the end times.” We’re living in those times right now.

As I pray for someone, I will often ask that God would manifest His Kingdom in this specific situation. Think about it: There are no needs in the Kingdom of God, no tears, no sickness. So, we should ask that God’s Kingdom would come, and that God’s will would be done here as it is there in heaven.

Jesus tells us to ask for our daily needs. If God chooses to give us our wishes, that’s a bonus. God doesn’t obligate Himself, though, to give us a full bank account, the nicest house on the block, and the nicest car on the road. It’s important that we not reserve our requests for just our big needs. If God is our Provider, we fail to glorify Him as our Provider if we don’t ask Him to provide. Besides, failing to ask God to provide may communicate, “God, I’ve got this; I don’t need you.”

Of course, Jesus didn’t need to ask forgiveness for any sins, but we do. Every single one of us needs forgiveness, and every one of us needs to grant forgiveness. (Romans 3:23) In fact, in Matthew 6:14–15, Jesus links our forgiving of others with God forgiving us! Don’t ask me how that works. Just take Jesus at His word and forgive as freely, richly, and thoroughly as you have been forgiven by God. (Ephesians 4:32)

Finally, Jesus tells us to ask God to keep us from temptation and deliver us from the evil one. To be tempted is part of being human. Jesus, as a human being, was also tempted. But, to be tempted is not to be inescapably brought into committing a sin. Again, Jesus was tempted, yet never sinned. (Hebrews 4:15) Moreover, Paul promises that anytime we are tempted, God always provides a way of escape. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

In asking for deliverance from the evil one, it’s crucial that, if we have been delivered, we not return to that from which we were delivered! In fact, Jesus follows up that if a demon has been cast out, it will look for a new home. If he comes back to you, and you are not actively staying cleaned up, Jesus says that the demon will move back in and bring seven of its friends, even more evil than itself, to take up residence. If you’re delivered from an addiction, never return to it. It will be much worse than before if you do.

Application

It’s interesting that the disciple didn’t ask Jesus to teach them how to pray, but to teach them to pray. The big takeaway here is that we need God’s Spirit to create a lasting impression upon our hearts that reveals the importance and urgency of prayer in the life of a believer.

To be a believer is to be a praying person. This is not mere wordplay. There’s a vast difference between being a praying person and being a person who prays. Prayer should mark us as disciples of Jesus, not just an activity that we do. Prayer should be as regular a part of our lives as breathing.

© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman