This prayer we do is important: Luke 11

Those Christians who have been burdened with the ministry of prayer have likely had an epiphany. They suddenly realized that prayer is something critical as a spiritual discipline. They are dedicated to pursuing God's purpose for the church in intercession. It is unfortunate that prayer is somewhat rare in a typical church, but we believe there are those in every church who know the importance of prayer. They are watchmen on the wall:

Ps. 130:6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.

Is. 52:8 Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.

Is. 62:6-7 I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, 7 and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.

Those who travail in prayer are on the front lines of battle, and often face discouragement. Prayer can be a difficult discipline. So this post is to encourage those who pursue prayer, spur others into active prayer, and to delve into some of Jesus' teachings on prayer.

It is our desire that the Church rise up to its call to prayer in these difficult times. 

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Let's look at Luke chapter 11:1-13:

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'"

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

The parallel passage in Mt. 6:9 is somewhat different: This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name..." 

"This" is ὅταν (hoo'-to), in this manner. 

"Then" is οὖν (oon), therefore, then.

Jesus is telling his disciples that when they pray, they should do it in a similar manner. "In this manner, then, pray." That is, Jesus is not telling the disciples to pray this exact prayer, He's providing a template, a way of praying. Jesus intends to provide a starting point for prayer.

Back to Luke 11. This passage is connected together as one discourse, beginning with Jesus praying, and ending with the promise of the Holy Spirit. When He finished praying, the disciples wanted to know how to pray like this. They must have been a party to this prayer. So Jesus responds to their question, saying "In this manner, then, pray:"

• Father: He is our heavenly Father, and we are His children (vs. 13). Our relationship as His people is in view here. Positionally, we pray as His offspring, His family - not as beggars.

• Hallowed be your name: We recognize that God is Holy, and His name is exalted.

• Your kingdom come: After we acknowledge His high and lofty position in worship, we begin to ask Him for things. Interestingly, it is not our needs we bring at this point, it is a prayer for His purposes. We are to ask for the conditions of His rulership in heaven to come to earth as well.

• Give us each day our daily bread: Now we ask for our supply. He is the manna-giver, the one who supplies our daily needs. But remember, we didn't start there, we started with worshiping, then seeking His kingdom, and now we are at our provision. We should pray this with the assurance He knows our needs. Mt. 6:31-33 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

• Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. Our forgiveness is conditional on us forgiving others, even those who deliberately intend to do us harm. And indeed, Jesus effected forgiveness and salvation at the Cross, so we in turn respond to our fellow man with the same.

• And lead us not into temptation. "Temptation" is πειρασμός, οῦ, ὁ (peirasmo), of a condition of things, or a mental state, by which we are enticed to sin, or to a lapse from faith and holiness... We are to ask God to to not bring us to a place where we are enticed to sin or lapse in faith. 

God does not tempt: 

Ja. 1:13-14 When tempted, no-one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

Jesus was tempted:

Hebrews 4:15: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

The careful reader might ask, "why would Jesus tell us to pray that the Father would not lead us into temptation when James tells us that He does not tempt anyone?" There is a difference here. Jesus says, "lead us not." "Lead" is ἰσφέρω (eispheró), to carry inward. 

So our loose translation would be, do not carry us inward to the entrance of a place of enticement to sin. The Father does at times carry us to that place at times where we are tempted, just as Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. (Mt. 4:1) So it is proper to say that God does not tempt, yet pray that we not be led into tempation.

That is all about the finished work of Jesus Christ “who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Gal. 1:4).

We find it interesting that much of the Lord's Prayer is about things God is predisposed to do. He supplies our needs, He forgives our sins, and He preserves us from sin. 

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Jesus recites this prayer, then moves to a parable. We believe this is connected to what Jesus just told us. This parable teaches us that prayer should be persistent and that we should not give up. Many Christians give up after praying for something once or twice, but Jesus wants us to keep going until we get an answer. In the parable the friend would be predisposed to help the one who wants bread, but would rather stay in bed. Ultimately he doesn't give his friend bread because of friendship, but rather because his friend was insistent.

So Jesus adds a concept to the Lord's Prayer: Persistence.

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Then Jesus gives three metaphors: 

• Ask and it will be given to you
• Seek and you will find
• Knock and the door will be opened to you.

Jesus makes three promises:

• Everyone who asks receives
• The one who seeks finds
• The one who knocks, the door will be opened.

This is the persistent prayer we are called to, where God is pursued for answers until the answers come. 

We should note that answered prayer comes with conditions:

• Pray according to His will: 1Jn. 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
• Pray with faith: Mt. 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
• Pray in reverent submission: He. 5:7 During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.
• Pray with thanksgiving: Ph. 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
• Pray in Christ: Jn. 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.
• Pray in the name of Jesus: Jn. 16:23 In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
• Pray in the Spirit: Ep. 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

The culmination of Jesus's teaching on prayer is verse 13: If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Jesus began by providing a template for prayer, then He provided a parable about persistence in prayer, then He emphasized that point with ask, seek, and knock. The end goal of everything Jesus said up to this point is the Holy Spirit. We are to ask for more Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the good gift the Father wants to give us as His children. Jesus wants us to ask for more Holy Spirit!

Prayer is or ought to be a consuming passion for the Christian. If we persist in prayer, God will answer. Sometimes He answers yes, sometimes no, and sometimes, wait. But we believe a time is coming for the Church when it will be moved to effectual prayer, when every prayer in the Spirit is answered quickly.

Ep. 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.

Ja. 5:16 ...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

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What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness,
Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy-laden,
Cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge—
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer;
In His arms He’ll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.