Teach Us To Pray

Luke 11:1-2 – He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say…"

Sometimes in ministry you are given the opportunity to browse the library of a friend who is retiring with the expectation you will find a gem to carry home. During one such experience, I came across a book by William A. Brown that was old and worn and terribly dated and yet wonderfully powerful in the message it had to share. You really don't have to go much farther than the cover. The book is called The Life of Prayer in a World of Science. Unlike most books there is a whole section on the front cover telling you what you will find inside. Part of that cover reads: "This book has been written by one who believes that prayer is the heart of all vital religion; yet in his own experience has often found it hard to pray."

If that hook doesn't get you to open the cover and continue to read, you are probably very secure in your prayer life or very afraid to try again to deepen and strengthen this vital element in our religious experience. Prayer is not easy and it can't be practised squeezed between the competition for your time. As one of the primary means of grace, it is vital for your spiritual health and welfare, especially in such a world as this.

So, what do you find beyond the cover? Here is just a taste of the treasure that awaits: "Prayer opens the door to communication with the living God whose creative Spirit can make the weak strong, the sad happy, the sinful righteous, and the old young."

Prayer: We meet you in prayer this day, our God, and seek a clearer vision and a closer walk and a more vibrant relationship with you. Open us again to the power of prayer in our lives, for we seek such through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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