Praying Effectively

The first verse of Luke 11 fascinates me. It reads, "And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." Lest we forget, these men were Jews and would have prayed prayers of adoration, blessings, praise and so on while attending the synagogues. Yet there was something distinctive about the way John's disciples, and Jesus prayed. The very fact that they enquired of Jesus such teaching, after he finished praying, suggests that they recognized the difference in the prayers they prayed, and what they were hearing. Not only that, but they saw the results of Jesus' prayers first-hand.

Bible Scholar & Commentator Matthew Henry posited, "'Their request is, 'Lord, teach us to pray; give us a rule or model by which to go in praying, and put words into our mouths.'' Note, It becomes the disciples of Christ to apply themselves to him for instruction in prayer. Lord, teach us to pray, is itself a good prayer, and a very needful one, for it is a hard thing to pray well and it is Jesus Christ only that can teach us, by his word and Spirit, how to pray. 'Lord, teach me what it is to pray; Lord, excite and quicken me to the duty; Lord, direct me what to pray for; Lord, give me praying graces, that I may serve God acceptably in prayer; Lord, teach me to pray in proper words; give me a mouth and wisdom in prayer, that I may speak as I ought; teach me what I shall say.'"

I quite like that; "Lord, teach me to pray in proper words...teach me what I shall say." It is quite possible to be praying (saying prayers) in the wrong way. It is no wonder Paul encourages us to pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18). In other words, let our prayers be be guided or directed by the Spirit. If He guides our prayers, it is fair to say that we will always be praying in the will of God, and I believe that those are the prayers that moves the hand of God. Do you want to pray effectively and not just be saying words? Maybe a good place to start in our next devotional moment is with the words, "Lord, teach me to pray" and allow Him to do so. If anyone knew how to pray effectively, He did. Think about it.