The School of Prayer

During the personal ministry of Jesus, we find the Son of God in prayer to the Father on numerous occasions. The brief Gospel accounts are littered with many incidents where the Savior cried out to God in Heaven. Jesus remained in relentless communication to the Father in Heaven. Even in the moments preceding His horrific crucifixion at Golgotha, Jesus prayed continually. While under the load of mental anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Biblical text reveals, “he prayed more earnestly” (Luke 22:44). The Son of God was able to carry on, bear the cross of suffering, and pay the ransom price for sin through the strength He gained from His Father in prayer. Jesus, our supreme example, was a man of prayer!

Jesus not only practiced prayer, but He continually taught His disciples the importance of maintaining a strong and active prayer life. On one occasion, Jesus “spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Luke 18:1). Just a few chapters prior to this admonition, His disciples came to Him saying, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). Succeeding this noble request, Jesus took His disciples to the school of prayer. He spent time with them teaching them some fundamentals of prayer. He helped them understand some great truths associated with prayer. In taking them to the school of prayer, Jesus gave them deep insight into one of the greatest spiritual blessings God’s people have been afforded. Notice some important spiritual lessons we can learn from attending the school of prayer.

First, we learn about a relationship in prayer. In the pattern Jesus gave His disciples, the Lord said, “when ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven” (Luke 11:2). Jesus did not instruct His disciples to pray to Him, the Holy Spirit, His mother, the angels, or to a departed loved one. On the contrary, Jesus used a very specific phrase. “Our Father” denotes the special relationship God’s people have with their Father in Heaven. Christians have an unparalleled connection to God, because they are His adopted children (Galatians 3:26-29; Ephesians 1:4-5). When a person obeys the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God saves them from their sins, and He adds them to His spiritual family, the church. Prayer, therefore, is for those who have this intimate relationship with God. A non-Christian who is living in sin cannot call God their Father, because Jesus said such are of their “father the devil” (John 8:44).

Second, we learn about reverence in prayer. Jesus instructed His disciples to address the Father in Heaven with deep reverence. In the pattern Jesus taught, the Son of God said, “hallowed be thy name” (Luke 11:2). The term “hallowed” conveys the ideas of holy, consecrated, pure, and worthy of adoration. The phrase “thy name” refers both to God’s name and the totality of His being. God is holy, reverend, and supremely worthy of man’s respect. The Psalmist declared, “holy and reverend is his name” (Psalm 111:9). No man is a reverend; God alone deserves to be hallowed and esteemed in this fashion. When God’s saints address their Father in Heaven, their prayers ought to overflow with honor, respect, and esteem for the King who sits on the throne of the universe.

Third, we learn about responsibility in prayer. Concerning some specifics in prayer, Jesus said, “thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth” (Luke 11:2). Jesus admonished His disciples to pray for the kingdom and to pray God’s will might be accomplished on the earth. This prayer cannot be explicitly prayed, for the Bible plainly teaches the kingdom (the church) has already come (Matthew 16:18-19; Acts 2:1-47; Colossians 1:13-14; Revelation 1:9). However, the principle of praying for the kingdom remains. Every Christian bears the responsibility to pray for the kingdom as often as they have opportunity. Pray for the church to grow. Pray for preachers in the church. Pray for elders, deacons, and Bible class teachers in the church. Pray for specific members of the church. Pray for those sick in the church. Above all, pray for God’s will to be magnified and made perfect.

Fourth, we learn about reliance in prayer. Jesus further taught His disciples to ask God to “give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:3-4). We find within these sentiments man’s utter dependence upon God. We need God for physical life, and we wholly rely upon God for spiritual life. Without God’s providential blessings, we would be wholly devoid of any ability to maintain our physical or spiritual existence. “I need thee every hour” ought to be the motivating message behind every prayer. We ought to bend our knee and bow our heart, because we rely upon God and must seek His blessings. As we persistently seek God’s blessings, we have the promise God will hear and provide. For Jesus later said, “ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).

– Brandon Baggett