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‘Lord, Teach Us to Pray’

Reflection on Luke 11. 1-4 

‘Lord, teach us to pray’

“Now it happened that Jesus was in a certain place praying, and when He had finished, one of his disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’”  (Luke 11. 1-4) 

The disciples’ request of Jesus, “teach us to pray,” seems strange. 

After all, Jews were taught to pray as children. Everyone prayed three times a day:  in the morning, at noon, and in the evening; and of course, on the Sabbath in the Synagogue.  But somehow, through their relationship with Jesus, the disciples discerned that they needed more — that their prayer life needed to be enriched and to go deeper.

In his answer to the disciples’ request, Jesus summarizes all his of teaching in five petitions. In these petitions, Jesus repeats the great promises of the Hebrew scriptures and asks God, the Father, to help us fulfill them.  The first two petitions speak to us about our relationship with God.  The other three speak to us about the relationships among us.

When we address God as Father (Abba), we acknowledge that we are children of God, and that God loves us as a parent loves a child, and that we should trust God just as a child trusts a loving parent to care for them. 

  • In Hebrew tradition, to name something, is to possess and control it—but we cannot possess or control God. We can only hallow/sanctify God’s name.

  • We pray for the coming of God’s kingdom—here and now on earth in this life, because we recognize God as the Lord and King of human life, and we seek to fulfill God’s will as God’s subjects and servants.

  • Bread was the essential staple at the time, and so we pray that our essential human needs be met (not our wants and desires) — that there be enough for all to share.

  • If we wish to be forgiven by God for our sins, we must be willing to forgive others for their sins against us. God wishes us to be reconciled to one another, and to live together in peace and harmony.

  • Finally, we pray to be saved for the time of trial—to not be tempted or tested beyond our human capacity to remain as God’s faithful children so that, at the time of judgment, we may not be found wanting.

In these five petitions, Jesus summarizes all that is required of us and assures us that God is there to help us.

Peace +
Norman