Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: Luke 11 and Psalm 27

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…”

Notice that the disciple asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray“, and not “Teach us how to pray.” Having watched Jesus praying, this disciple wanted the prayer-connection Jesus had with God, but realised the lack of prayer in his own life. That seems true for many disciples today in our age of distraction. We speak and read about prayer far more than we practice it.

In teaching us to pray, Jesus gave us a model of prayer that invites us to connect to God in intimate conversation, addressing Him as “Abba” – “Father”. This is the beauty that should draw us into prayer – the realization that it is not a matter of religion, but of relationship. It is an incredible privilege to have the freedom to approach the Almighty and Ever-living God as a beloved Father.

That’s why we should always see what has become known as “The Lord’s Prayer” as an outline by which to be guided, rather than something merely to be recited. Charles Spurgeon wrote that some people pray as if it were  “a mere exercise of memory, simply using the organs of noise-making; and it is absurd to imagine that such a parrot exercise can be pleasing to the living God!”

Prayer is communication with our Loving and Forgiving Heavenly Father. It is the spiritual equivalent of breathing in the air without which we could not survive physically, because it nurtures the relationship without which we have no spiritual life.

Life application: Take time to turn to God in conversation at regular intervals today. Even if it is a matter of simply saying something like, “Abba Father, I love You. Let my life display Your glory!” and listening for His whispered reply.