“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” (Luke 11:1).

One of the most beautiful glimpses into the life of our Lord is found in today’s text. The Lord Jesus Christ had been praying in solitude when one of His disciples implored: “Lord, teach us to pray.”.

Note that only one of the twelve made the request. Often a believer tends to think his contribution is unimportant and could never make a difference. Therefore, it is good to be reminded that even only one person is important in God’s eyes and can make a real difference.

Notice three clear truths from this humble request that Jesus answered by providing a model prayer (vv.2–4). An acknowledgment of the importance of prayer: Even a long journey begins with the first step. Surely the first step toward becoming a prayer warrior is to understand that God moves when His people pray. No believer’s practice of prayer will rise above his view of prayer. A desire to know how to pray: In a world that is constantly calling us to its worldly pursuits, it is all too easy to become sidetracked from spiritual commitments. This one disciple in our text had the desire to learn to pray, and brought it directly to Jesus, the teacher. A willingness to be taught: Any person who has been a part of the teaching/learning process knows that one of the most important variables in learning is the willingness on the part of the learner to be taught. Little will happen if a believer resists the truth found in God’s word!

No believer’s spiritual life will ever rise to stay above the level of his praying; no believer’s prayer life will rise to stay above the level of his own personal, regular, daily time of worship before God. JGH