“Teach Us To Pray”

 

DISCUSSION                                                          

                 “Lord, teach us to pray…” I wish I knew who it was that made this simple request.  Could it have been Andrew?  Andrew had originally been a disciple of John the Baptist and had seen how John had prayed; I suppose it could have been Andrew.  Maybe it was Matthew, who was a Levite and had even been trained to pray as a Levite making pleas for the people of God; Yet had now become a tax collector and maybe was seeking how he could restore that relationship he had once had with the Father.  I suppose it could have been Matthew.  Maybe it was John, who although he was called one of the sons of Thunder, had a softer side and just desired the same type of relationship that Jesus had with the Father.  I suppose it could have been John.  Maybe it was even Judas Iscariot, who had already been tempted to take some of the money out of their treasury for himself.  Maybe Judas was feeling somewhat guilty and wanted to know he might restore a relationship with the Father that might free him of his guilt.  I suppose it could have been Judas, but the fact is, this side of Heaven we will never now.  Regardless of who it was, in my opinion this seems to be one of the sincerest and humblest of pleas from an individual who is honestly seeking a closer relationship with the Father.  I am sure Jesus had received hundreds of requests each and every day that He walked upon this earth, but this request was different.  It wasn’t “forgive me”, “heal me” or “feed me”, it was more of a cry of desire to be closer to the Father.   All too often we rush through our prayers to get them done and forget that when we pray, we are coming before the Creator of the Universe and He has given us His undivided attention! It is my prayer that as you read Jesus’ reply that you take a few extra moments to thank Jesus for His explanation to that disciple and may we all have that same desire to gain that intimacy with the Father.  

 

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