April
24
2023

Learning to Pray

Learning to Pray
One of the reasons so many Christians struggle with praying is that they have never been taught how to pray. Now, you might immediately say that there is no secret to prayer and that you just simply talk to God. While there is certainly no secret formula to prayer, and we are merely talking to God, that does not mean that one does not need to be taught how to pray.

When Jesus had finished praying, one of His disciples asked, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). In this one verse we see that John the Baptist taught his disciples how to pray and that Jesus' disciples were now asking to learn as well. What follows is a model prayer that Jesus teaches His disciples. If the Apostles of Christ and the disciples of John needed help in this area, then it seems obvious that the average Christian would need some help here as well. 

Perhaps you find yourself struggling with prayer, not sure what to do or say. Look no further than the Lord’s prayer. This is how Christ taught His disciples and we can learn much from this prayer. Beyond this we can look to the Psalms. The Psalms are full of prayer. There are prayers of thanksgiving, lament, praise, and more. David, Asaph, the sons of Korah, and any of the other Psalm writers can help teach us about prayer. 

It is also good to find someone who excels in prayer and to learn from them. Christ’s disciples asked Him to teach them. Yet, for some reason, many Christians would be embarrassed to ask for help when it comes to prayer. This ought not be the case. Rather, it should be counted as a great privilege to be asked, “will you help teach me to pray?” Let us never be too proud to ask for help, even in the most basic areas of the Christian life.

So, is prayer just talking to God? Yes. Yet, it is also a discipline that is cultivated and taught to others. Let us press on, realizing what a great privilege prayer is, and seek the Lord in prayer.

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