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.” (Luke 11:1 NIV)
It didn't take long before his disciples noticed something different about Jesus, including his prayers. Being a disciple means being a follower. They wanted to learn from their teacher. They asked him to teach.
He said to them, “When you pray, say:“ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ” (Luke 11:2-4 NIV)
This model prayer, which we often call "The Lord's Prayer," is challenging to us all. Take a moment to look at the concepts he is teaching his disciples here. Don't just run through the prayer quickly as you memorized it. Pay attention to what he is saying.
Prayer shouldn't be about going to God with our agenda. It's about aligning our agenda with His. His Kingdom will come here on earth only when His will is done in my life...and yours. When we pray for His will to be done here on earth, Jesus is teaching us to align ourselves with His will in prayer. He even teaches us to ask forgiveness for the times we do not align ourselves to His will, reminding us that others, like us, miss the boat at times as well.
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;a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’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.’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. “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.For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks fora fish, will give him a snake instead?Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?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!” (Luke 11:5-13 NIV)
When we align ourselves with God's will, we ask for things He wants. Remember, God is the source of all that is good in life. God wants to give us good gives. Often times, though, we ask for things we think are good, but, in reality, are not. When we align ourselves with Him in prayer, our requests start to be for the good of ourselves and others. We start to look at the world through His eyes. We start to understand, at least in part, the mind of God.
How about you? Do you try to get God on your agenda or do you align yourself with God in prayer? Have you spend time in His Word and prayer learning what He considers "good?" Are you starting to understand the mind of God?
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