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Jesus Prayed - Luke 11
Jesus Prayed - Luke 11
Almost as an incidental to the story, we read that “ It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1).
‘while Jesus was praying…’ This is not just an incidental, but this is a statement showing the very basic character, person and habits of Jesus. The Son of God, God manifest in the flesh, and yet He prayed. If you have been paying attention in your reading, you will see that Luke mentions such praying of Jesus over and over again.
Pete Wilson in a series on prayer, stated that one of the most difficult aspects of discipleship was steadfast, continual praying! Many years after hearing this, I can attest that he was correct. I have since read various studies on the prayer life of the ‘average’ (self-proclaimed) Christian in America, and the amount of time spent in prayer hovers around 5 minutes per day. That includes the perfunctory giving of thanks at meal times.
Later we will read in chapter 18:1 that Jesus instructs that men ought to pray at all times. Paul will write that disciples ought to “pray without ceasing: (1 Thess. 5:17). Again Paul would write that you are to “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Col. 4:2). James encouraged that ‘if any man suffers, let him pray (James 5:13-14). Yet again, Paul writes that we are to “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints” (Eph. 6:18). As disciples we are to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Phil. 4:6).
No wonder, living with and observing Jesus, the disciples said: “Lord, teach US to pray.” Me too.
Hugh DeLong
