Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:”
Luke 11:1-2
The disciples had direct access to Jesus, but in all their time it is only recorded they ask him to teach them one thing: to pray. Prayer is the single greatest thing we have access to that we might connect with God the Father. The disciples’ question is significant because anything that is taught is able to be developed, and your prayer life has the ability to flourish into an intimate conversation with your heavenly Father. As we kick off our new series, Pastor Ryan Schlachter gives us three reasons for the purpose of prayer.
Prayer is Our Reply
- When we pray, we are stepping into a conversation that has already begun.
- In other cultures and religions, prayer is an attempt to wake up one of their gods in hopes that they might listen to them. We pray because we are responding to the fact he has already spoken to us.
- God desires to commune with his people, we are responding to someone who wants to talk with us
- “My heart has heard you say, ‘Come and talk with me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’” -Psalm 27.8
- This is not a conversation that needs to be avoided, it’s not a conversation to dread.
- His posture towards us is one of affection and interest, regardless of what we have to say.
Prayer is Our Duty
- There’s no condemnation or pressure connected to prayer, but prayer can also not be optional for us
- “Prayer is the only entryway into genuine self-knowledge. It is also the main way we experience deep change—the reordering of our loves. Prayer is simply the key to everything we need to do and be in life. We must learn to pray. We have to.” - Tim Keller
- If the call of a believer is to love God, we cannot do that without communication.
- There is nothing we can do to substitute the quality time we have with God through prayer.
- We cannot build in the spirit without accessing the spirit of God.
- Oftentimes we are stuck struggling with habitual sin and never try approaching God in prayer.
Prayer is Our Pathway
- Prayer is the pathway into inexpressible joy
- “You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.” - 1 Peter 1:8
- Prayer takes what we read in the Bible and brings it from our head down to our heart
- Circumstances are not blocking your joy, it’s the lack of intimacy with God.
- Our lack of intimacy is not a time issue, it’s a devotion issue.
Dinner Party Questions
- How does it change your engagement with God knowing he is eager to talk with you?
- Is there any condemnation or insecurity around your prayer life? How can you begin to step into the pathway of inexpressible joy this week?
- God doesn’t just desire to have us do things for him, but he wants to communicate with us. Try practicing breath prayer this week to spend a few moments with God during your day.
BK Dinner Party Questions
- Prayer is not a show to impress God with your words, but a vulnerable place to connect with him. What is a short, honest prayer you can commit to bringing to God every day this week?
- How does it change your prayer life to know that you already have God’s attention?
- The entire gospel teaching of prayer can be summed up in this word: ASK. What have you been afraid to ask God for in your life?
