01/17/2018
Who taught you how to pray? Did you learn so long ago that you can’t actually remember? Did you learn by reciting common prayer in church? Perhaps your mother and father taught you as a child. For something so crucial and basic to our faith and relationship with Jesus and God, we appear to approach it in an often haphazard manner. So how should we pray?
“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."”
Luke 11:1 ESV
Do you find it interesting that both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ had to teach their disciples how to pray? These followers were not new to the Jewish faith, so why was it that they needed to be taught to pray? In fact, by obeying the law, Jews prayed at least three times every day, morning (the third hour from sunrise), afternoon (at 3:00), and evening (at sundown). If Jews already prayed three times a day what was different about the method in which John and Jesus prayed that needed to be learned?
Jewish prayer was very structured, and the three daily prayers were called out by the Torah, as law, and specific. The Morning Prayer was said to have been implemented by Abraham and called Shacharit which focused on love. The midday prayer was implemented by Isaac, and called (Minchah), it is focused on awe. The third Daily prayer was implemented by Jacob, and called (Maariv), and it is focused on mercy. Each of these prayers was very structured and repetitive. So if Jews knew prayer, why did they need to be taught?
We don’t know a great deal about the prayer life of John the Baptist, but we do know about Jesus. Both John and Jesus were Jews, and they obeyed the law. This means that they prayed the three daily prayers, but we also know that Jesus prayed at other times as well, and in fact prayed constantly just as Paul taught...
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
As a means of reinforcing this we know of several specific instances, outside of the daily prayer that Jesus prayed, such as before choosing his disciples (Luke 6:12), before walking on water (Matt 15:22), as he prayed for Peter’s faith (Luke 22:32), and others.
But what was so different from the typical Jewish prayer of the time that it prompted the disciples to request special teaching? Although there is no specific answer given in the Bible, one can conjecture it to have been the intimate nature of these prayers, the secrecy of them, and the obvious effect of praying them in the miracles and wonders of Jesus. However, when Jesus gave them instruction He didn’t teach them to specifically pray for the ability to do miracles. He warned them about babbling, prayer as a means of making oneself appear righteous, told them to pray always, and he taught them to be persistent.
How surprised they must have been when Jesus recited a 30 seconds prayer to them (The Lord’s Prayer). Jesus would often pray all night so if the basis of prayer took 30 seconds... what was the composition of the remaining 8 hours? Or how about the intercessory prayer of Jesus (John 17) which is noted as the longest prayer in the Bible, and takes a mere 3 minutes, or the longest prayer of Paul in Ephesians 3 that can be read in less than a minute and 30 seconds?
In these examples we see that the composition and not length is what should be important. Was this different from the Jewish prayer of the day? No, There were short prayers. So what was it? I believe the main difference was in the coming, and the name, of Jesus. The kingdom of God (mentioned in The Lord’s Prayer) could not come before the Messiah, and John the Baptist prayed for the imminent arrival of the Messiah. Another important difference was the relationship, and the openness with which prayer was offered to God. This form of prayer was not scrutinized by the priests, or dictated in any fashion from the temple.
As for Jesus praying all night? Well we don’t know for sure what those hours consisted of because no one was privy to them, but it can be surmised that if the core of prayer could be delivered in minutes or seconds, then those hours were spent in personal conversation, and in discerning, and understanding the true will of God. Jesus did nothing of consequence without seeking God’s desire of Him in prayer, and giving praise and worship was paramount. Even in the Lord’s Prayer we see that once God is identified as the recipient of that prayer, the very next words were “hallowed be thy name”.
So regardless of who has instructed us in prayer, we should look to Jesus and the Word of God, for how we should actually pray. No long flowing prayers meant to impress each other... or God... but direct, private, and succinct prayer followed by a conversational prayer that is such a part of our relationship, and the imparting of God’s will to us.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for the privilege of praying to you, and your openness to my prayers always. I thank you Holy Father for the teaching of Jesus regarding prayer, and our private prayers which we bring to you in secret. Hear us Lord as we pour out our hearts to you, and speak to us of your will in our lives. I am reminded by scripture that I am not to ramble on, pray to bring glory upon myself, or to conduct my life outside of prayer, and your will. Hold my hands Father as I stretch them out to you, gather my tears as they fall from my eyes, and lift me up as I crumble at your feet. I praise you in prayer, and worship you from bended knee and secret conversation. Hear me Father, for you are great, and the giver of each breath I take. You are my comforter, my counselor, my every desire... Holy, Holy, Holy art thou!
Rich Forbes