1 Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily bread,
4 and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”
5 And he said to them, “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
When Jesus finished praying, one of the disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. He asked in the context of John the Baptist teaching his disciples so this question is framed in the idea of discipleship, a prayer for those who are following Jesus. Jesus’ model for prayer initially focussed on God the Father, addressed as a parent but with His name still revered as holy. Our desire should be to see God’s name honoured in our lives and in the world around us. Next, the focus is shifted to God’s kingdom being established. This is the kingdom that was offered to Israel but they rejected it. God’s kingdom will be established when Christ returns so our prayer can focus on Christ’s return but in the meantime that God’s kingdom values are evident in our lives and the lives of our churches now. Next, the prayer moves to our needs. Note that this prayer model is not “give me my daily bread”, but it is plural, “give us…”. God established His church to be interdependent and so our needs can and should be met through our brothers and sisters in Christ just as we seek to meet the needs of our brothers and sisters. Next, we need to focus on our relationships, first with God and then with others. God first forgave us through Jesus’ death on the cross. That is the once for all forgiveness that has given us eternal life and entrance into the kingdom. Daily we need to continue to ask forgiveness in order to maintain an abiding relationship with God. From this abiding relationship, we are able to forgive those who have wronged us. Note that the prayer for forgiveness is framed with the expectation that we are developing a forgiving attitude. We forgive because we are forgiven and we ask forgiveness because we are forgiving. Finally, this model prayer asks God not to lead us into temptation. God never tempts us (James 1:12-14) instead this is a prayer that we are kept from situations that leave us more prone to sin. If we are honest with ourselves, we will recognise our propensity for sin and want to stay away from temptation as much as possible.
Jesus then uses a story to encourage His disciples to ask God with boldness even when it seems unlikely that they will receive a positive response. Jesus spoke of someone who petitions his friend to help him with some bread to feed an arriving visitor. The request is late at night and the friend is initially unwilling because he has alread settled his kids and is in bed. But because he is the person’s friend and because of the person’s impudence (what a wonderful word. It is not because he was nagging but because he was bold and shameless in his request). The friend gets up and helps him with his need first because they are friends but also because of the person’s bold request. Jesus then puts it plainly, “ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” James tells us that we do not have because we do not ask, or we ask wrongly—with selfish motives (James 4:2-3).
Jesus then pointed to our earthly relationships between father and son and how we, though we are inherently sinful give our children good things when they ask for them. How much more will God give us what we need if we ask Him. To pray for the Holy Spirit would be the ultimate good gift from the Father—God in us. Prior to Pentecost, only a select few had the Holy Spirit in them. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit and the Spirit entered believers at Pentecost. Now, during the church age, every believer receives the Holy Spirit at the point of belief (see Acts 10; Rom 8:9-11; 1 Cor 12:12–13). While we do not need to pray for the Holy Spirit, we can contineu to pray with boldness knowing that if we are abiding with God, we can ask and He will give us good gifts.
How is your prayer life? Are you praying for the right things? Do your prayers focus on the things Jesus told His disciples to focus on? And are you asking with boldness expecting God to do good things for you?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
King Joash: 2 Kings 12