Read: Matthew 6:9-15
This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven . . .” (v. 9 NIV)
One of the best-known prayers in all the world is what we call The Lord’s Prayer. It is The Lord’s Prayer because it comes from Jesus, our Lord. But we could also call it The Disciple’s Prayer because Jesus was speaking to his disciples when he said: “This, then, is how you should pray.”
In Luke’s account of this prayer, Jesus had been off praying by himself. Having observed their teacher at prayer, one of the disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1). Jesus’s response was not a course book on prayer or a lecture series, but a simple 60-second prayer. This most important prayer is short and simple, thereby making it easy to memorize. It may have been one of the first prayers you learned.
It’s interesting to think about the fact that the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. They could have asked him to teach them a host of other things—like how to cure the sick or how to become a rabbi who could speak with authority. But no, they wanted to know how to pray.
Obviously, prayer was important to Jesus. The disciples had seen that firsthand. They realized that Jesus drew strength from God through prayer. And they wanted that for themselves.
If you could ask Jesus to teach you one thing, would it be to pray? A true disciple would!
As you pray, use the Lord’s Prayer as your guide.
About the Author
Rev. John C. Koedyker is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America. He has served as a missionary to Japan as well as pastor of several churches in Iowa and Michigan. Until recently he served Muskegon Classis as its Stated Clerk for 18 years. He resides in Grand Haven, Michigan.
