"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.” Luke 11:1
No one has ever had to "learn" to run. It's just something we were born to do. We stand, then crawl, take a few steps and then off we go. We can certainly get better at it with practice but there was never a time when we didn't instinctively know how. And, although we don't have to "learn" to pray to have a conversation or relationship with God, there are definite advantages to "getting better" at it.
When the disciple asked Jesus to teach him to pray, "Jesus said, “This is how you should pray: “Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.” (v. 2-4). The secret to a happy and holy life is in learning this prayer... or more specifically, the order of it. Jesus praised God first, then He made his requests.... daily provisions, forgiveness of sin, the ability to forgive others who have wronged us, and for the strength to avoid unholy desires and urges.
Like the disciple, we too should "learn" to pray as Jesus instructed. William Law once wrote, "He who has learned to pray has learned the greatest secret of a happy and holy life." Now, isn't that worth learning more about?
Heavenly Father, thank You for instructing us on how to best pray. This is certainly the secret for leading a happy and holy life. May we spend time in prayer each and every day and make it the first thing we do in the morning and the last thing we do before closing our eyes at night. It's in your precious name we pray, Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
You are God alone - Phillips, Craig and Dean
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