Teach Us To. . .?

I find it very interesting that the phrase “teach us to” occurs only two times in the Bible, one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament.  In this post I will deal with the New Testament reference.  We know that Jesus’ disciples walked, talked, and lived life with Jesus for three and one half years of public ministry.  The heard Him preach and teach, they saw Him do miracles, yet they only asked Jesus to teach them how to do one thing.  The one thing they asked Him to teach them was to pray.  Luke 11:1 says, “And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”  The disciples undoubtedly learned many things by watching Jesus, but prayer was something they wanted to know how to do.  It is sad to me that prayer was such a vital focus of Jesus’ ministry, it was the backbone of the disciples life as recorded in the New Testament, and yet prayer occupies such a small place in the life of the average Christian today.  When we do pray, many times it is more of an organ recital (things on us that hurt and others physical ailments), than it is adoration for who God is, or even seeking what He desires for our lives and the lives of our churches.  If we are honest, many times we use prayer in an attempt to get God on our agenda.  However, prayer should be about us getting on God’s agenda.  We should ask the question, Lord what do you want to do in me and through Me today?  How will my life bring you glory today God?  I’m not saying that we shouldn’t bring our physical problems to God, we should.  But they should not take the place of the spiritual problems in our lives and the lives of those around us.  When we pray, we are inviting God to invade our day, to fill us with His Spirit (that is give Him more control of us) so that we can represent Him to a lost and dying world.  Notice in that statement, the only responsibility we have is to surrender our heart, our life, and our plans to God.  It is His power, His presence that is going to work in us and through us.

Have you ever wondered why when the majority of people pray or if prayer occurs in church, the pastor or whoever asks you to bow your head and close your eyes?  Is this commanded in Scripture?  The simple answer to that is no.  In the Bible we encounter people standing, kneeling, laying on their back, lacking on their stomach, and other ways.  Then if it is not commanded, why do we do it?  It is a physical illustration of the way our hearts are to be towards God.  Closing our eyes is a way that we can tune the world out, and tune into God.  I am a person who notices almost every little thing.  That is a polite way of saying I’m easily distracted.  So many times we get caught up in the things going on around us, that we can’t hear God when He speaks.  I am convinced one of the greatest reasons altar calls at the end of a service don’t receive more responses, is because too many people care more about what others will think of them instead of what God is saying to them.  By closing our eyes, I can become oblivious to those around me.  Sure I know they are there, but I can’t see what they are doing.  It makes it easier for me to calm myself and listen intently for God.  What does bowing your head mean?  It is an act of submission and humility.  If we were to examine the prayer the Lord taught His disciples in Matthew 5 and Luke 11 we would learn some things about who God is in relation to us.  First, “Our Father which art in heaven,” this means that God is above us.  I loved a sign I saw the other day on a church it said, even if something is over your head, it is still under God’s feet.  I love that because it reminds me that God is in control of it all.  Secondly, we see the word “hallowed be Thy name” reminds me that the only One who deserves honor and glory is God, and it is my duty to give Him that honor and glory.  Further it says, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”  Life isn’t about me, it is about God, and my will should be to do the will of the One who sought me, bought me, and redeemed me with His blood.  The last phrase I will look at for this prayer (although there is more to the prayer), “Give us this day our daily bread.”  God created everything, He sustains everything, and He provides everything.  In other words with out God, I would be nothing and have nothing.  Bowing my head to pray is having an accurate assessment of who I am as well as an accurate picture of who God is.  As I have said on here before, God does not exist to make much of me, I exist to make much of Him.

Prayer is humbly acknowledging that you can’t, but that God can.  Prayer brings in the power of God to our lives.  If you lack power in your life and in your ministry, check to make sure that you are plugged into the power source.  Individuals and churches could accomplish so much more if we would humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God and listen to God and God alone.

By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him