01/17/2026
Who taught us how to pray? Did we learn Who Taught You to Pray?so long ago that we can’t remember any longer? Did you learn to pray by reciting common prayer in Sunday School or church? Perhaps your mother and father taught you as a child by praying over your meals or at bedtime. For something so crucial and basic to our faith and relationship with Jesus and God, we certainly appear to approach it in an often unthinking or 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
Don’t you find it interesting that both John the Baptist and Jesus Christ had to teach their disciples how to pray? After all, their followers were not new to the Jewish faith, so why was it that they needed to be retaught how to pray? In fact, by obeying Jewish law they already prayed at least three times every day. They prayed in the morning (the third hour from sunrise), afternoon (at 3:00), and evening (at sundown). So, 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 were very specific. The Morning Prayer was said to have been implemented by Abraham and called the “Shacharit” which focused on love. The midday prayer was implemented by Isaac, and called the “Minchah”, and it is focused on awe. The third and final prayer of the day was implemented by Jacob, and called the “Maariv”, and it is focused on mercy. Each of these prayers was very structured and repetitive. So, if the Jews already knew prayer, then why did they need to be taught again? Did they feel that the prayers of Jesus were that different or that perhaps they would become a fourth type of structured prayer? If this were to be the case perhaps they expected it to be called the “Leha’amin” which means to believe, or maybe the “Chayel Olam“ which means eternal life?
“For God so loved the world,[a] that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 ESV
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 followed Old Testament 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 instructed us to do...
“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 the idea of constant prayer we know of several specific instances, outside of the daily prayers, 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 prayers of the time that it prompted the disciples to request special instruction in them? Although there is no specific answer to this question 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 realized miracles and wonders of Jesus. However, when Jesus gave them instruction He didn’t teach them a specific prayer for the ability to do miracles. No, He warned them about babbling prayer as a means of making oneself appear righteous, He 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) that was to become the template or basis for all their prayers. 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, the daily prayers 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 Christ’s prayers were 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 remaining 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 too. 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 a instructed us in prayer, we should look to Jesus and the Word of God, to understand 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. Let-s begin our prayer by reciting the Lord’s Prayer and then move into our conversational prayers…
“9Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew 6:9-14 ESV
Conversational 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 our hearts out to you and speak to us of your will in our lives. I am reminded by your Word that I am not to ramble on, not to pray that I might bring glory upon myself, nor to conduct my life outside of prayer and your will. Hold my hands Father as I stretch them out to you in prayer, gather my tears as they fall from my eyes, and lift me up as I collapse 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, and my every desire... Holy, Holy, Holy art thou my God who loves me, fills me with awe, shows me mercy, helps me to believe, and gives me eternal life in your presence through Jesus Christ your Son.
Praised be your name always Father, and hear me as I say…
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! And Amen!
Rich Forbes