I can relate to the request made by the unnamed disciple in Luke 11. He asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Like him, I want Jesus to teach me to pray. I have three very specific desires for these prayer lessons. First, I want to learn to pray prayers that God loves to answer. Prayers that reflect the will and heart of God. Second, I want to learn to pray prayers that honor God. In the book, Sun Stand Still, Steven Furtick writes, “If the size of your vision for your life isn’t intimidating to you, there’s a good chance it’s insulting to God.” I fear that many of my prayers have been so unworthy of God. While not neglecting to pray about the “small stuff,” I want to ask God to do things that show the world that He is God. I want to pray prayers of faith and boldness. Finally, I want my experience to match the incredible claims Jesus made. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it” (John 14:12-14). So I find myself saying, “Me too! Lord, teach me to pray.”
I’ve spent the last few months on a quest to learn from Jesus how to pray. In the next few blogs, I’ll share some of what I’ve learned from his answer in Luke 11.