“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray . . .”
Luke 11:1
The God of the Bible reveals himself in scripture as a God who speaks. Genesis begins with God speaking all creation into existence and Revelation concludes with Jesus speaking words of encouragement. In between the beginning and the end, God is busy speaking into the lives of people and nations. It is clear that our God is a God who speaks. This reality is meant to lead us into a conversational relationship with him for God is not speaking into thin air but to people. We are not to be silent or only to listen and not speak. We are meant to enjoy a friendship with God that expresses itself in the sharing of thoughts, ideas, and even our desires. How are we to enter into this conversation with God? The short answer is we talk to God. This talking to God is what we most often refer to as prayer.
Jesus was one who spoke with his Heavenly Father often in prayer. The witness of the Bible is that he got up early to pray, that on some occasions he prayed all night, and that he prayed before making important decisions or when engaging in his father’s business. His disciples admired his practice of prayer so much that one day one asked him to teach them to pray. What was it about Jesus’ praying that inspired this question? Surely, they had heard many prayers. Perhaps it was the intimacy of relationship that Jesus had with his Father in heaven. Whatever it was, Jesus responded to the request by giving them what we call the Lord’s Prayer.
This prayer teaches us that our conversation with God is safe, personal, intimate even, one that recognizes God for who he is, and that his will has priority. Moreover, it helps us see rightly that we are sinners with needs that he is best able to meet. Jesus taught them to pray with faith, believing in the goodness of God, to pray boldly, and often. Prayer was an essential part of Jesus’ life and if we are to be like him then we will embrace prayer even as he did. Prayer, as conversation with God, is the most immediate way we have to be with God and to have him speak into our lives.
This month our training in godliness will focus on developing our practice of prayer. The reality is that too few Christians spend much time in conversation with God and our and lives show it. If we love God, we will seek him out in daily conversation. Prayer is, as someone once said, keeping company with God, and thus as we continue to pray, we will discover that prayer has become a friendship with One who loves us like no other.
– Hamish Buntain
