Praying Powerfully and Effectively
Luke 11:1 says…
1 He was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”
Certainly, the disciples had made the connection between Jesus’ prayers and his miraculous power and dynamic leadership, and they wanted to know the secret. It wasn’t that they had never prayed before. In fact, as Jews, they were pretty accustomed to praying quite often. But when they witnessed Jesus’ prayer life, they realized their own inadequacies and wanted to know the secret to praying powerfully and effectively. So, they come to Jesus and request that he teach them how to pray.
And Jesus teaches a pattern for prayer that teaches us to pray personally.
In verse 2, Jesus says, “When you pray, here’s what to say…” And what follows is what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. Now, the Lord’s prayer is to be a model for prayer. It wasn’t meant to be a prayer to be recited by rote, but an illustration of how effective prayer can be structured. It might even be good to repeat this prayer on occasion if it’s done so sincerely. But there’s very little value in repeating it over and over without paying attention to its content. The Lord’s Prayer is an example of how we can express our personal concerns to God.
Let’s say someone sends you a greeting card, maybe for your birthday. When you open the card to read it, what part of the card means the most to you – the poem that’s printed on it, or the one or two sentences scribbled by the sender at the bottom? Most likely, it’s those one or two sentences scribbled at the bottom because it’s an expression of that person’s heart.
Prayer is a personal connection with God. It’s the heartfelt words that he longs to hear. So, Jesus isn’t giving us a printed form to rigidly repeat when we pray. He’s giving us a guideline of how we can personally connect with God.
So, Jesus says, 2 …“Whenever you pray, say, Father…”
President Lyndon Johnson was hosting a staff lunch one day when his press secretary, Bill Moyers, began the lunch with a prayer. Suddenly, the president shouted, “Speak up, Bill! I can’t hear a thing!” Moyers quietly replied, “I wasn’t addressing you, Mr. President.” When we pray, we’re talking to God himself. Prayer was given as a personal communication between God the Father and his created beings.
And I want to make sure you understand the gravity of what Jesus is saying here. Up until now, no one had called God “Father” except for Jesus. And now, Jesus calls his disciples and us into the same relationship he has with God. He is Jesus’ Father. And he is our Father.
Jesus continues by saying, 2 “…Father, your name be honored as holy…”
A young boy from Newhaven, Connecticut, was struggling to memorize the Lord’s Prayer. When his minister overheard him, he realized he was saying, “Our Father who art in Newhaven, how do you know my name?” The minister smiled and complimented the boy on his theology and said, “You’ve embraced two important truths: 1) God is there; 2) He knows your name.”
Don’t miss this here. Prayer is crawling into our Father’s lap, but it’s also bowing before our King.
God’s name is to be revered and respected. So, when we begin our prayer, we praise God for his holiness. We might say something like, “Lord, you’re awesome and wonderful. You’re full of love and mercy.”
Next, 2 “…Your kingdom come.”
In the Old Testament, before Jesus came, God’s kingdom was the nation of Israel. In the New Testament, when Jesus came, God’s kingdom is the church. And after Jesus comes back, God’s kingdom will be a new heaven and a new earth. When we pray for God’s kingdom to come, we’re praying that God right now rules in the church and in our lives; that we’re living as people in his kingdom. We’re praying for the church’s leaders, its vision and mission, and its people.
Next, 3 “Give us each day our daily bread.”
So, the first thing we should do every morning is ask God to provide our needs for that day. We could say something like…
• Help me in my work ethic to reflect my Christian convictions.
• Help me to have patience with that person at work.
• Give me the words to say to that one person who doesn’t know you yet.
• Help me to love my family better today.
• Let me find joy in what I do today.
• Lord, give me what I need for today.
Jesus continues, 4 “And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also forgive everyone in debt to us…”
There’s an old cartoon of Dennis the Menace kneeling at his bedside, hands folded, and he says, “I’m here to turn myself in.” Every day we say, “Lord, I confess that I fall short of your glory. Thank you for the blood of Jesus that cleanses me of my sin.” Also, as we forgive others, we’re forgiven. Jesus said that if we can’t forgive others, then we ourselves cannot be forgiven. So, Jesus is teaching us not to hold grudges; to find a way to let go of others’ failings in our lives.
Next, 4 “…And do not bring us into temptation.”
God knows every area of our weaknesses, and we’re asking him to keep us away from those temptations of jealousy, lust, greed, cynicism, coveting, and whatever it is we’re struggling with. God promises not to let us be tempted beyond what we can bear, and praying about those temptations helps to put up a hedge of protection so we don’t fall into a trap.
Now, this is a rather short prayer, but there are times when longer prayers are appropriate. Some of you have no problem praying for an hour or two. You’ve got your prayer lists, and you find it easy to pray for long periods of time, and I think that’s wonderful. But don’t feel guilty if your prayer time is much shorter. Long prayers are not essential and not necessarily the most effective. In the Old Testament, we read of Elijah, who challenged the false prophets of Baal to a prayer duel on Mount Carmel. He told them, “Let’s see whose god will answer by fire,” and the prophets of Baal prayed from dawn till dusk. They were out there shouting and cutting themselves all day long to no avail. Then Elijah prayed a 30-second prayer, and fire fell from heaven. It wasn’t the length of the prayer; it was the one to whom they were praying that made the difference.