Category Archives: Prayer

When the disciple asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He was ready to instruct them in this teachable moment.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say . . .” (Lk. 11:1-4)

How Jesus Made Himself Available to Teach His Disciples about Prayer

Jesus obviously was approachable. The disciple felt the freedom to ask Jesus to mentor them in prayer. Jesus was available in the past to answer their questions or concerns, sometimes even before they asked.

Notice the words “when he finished.” There was a direct correlation between Jesus praying and their request. They saw Him praying. They were ready to learn. He responded immediately. A timely response is so important in using these kinds of teachable moments. Jesus did not put them off to a more convenient time for Him. He knew verbal instruction would best be received when they were ready.

Because they were ready to receive instruction, Jesus then went into applicational mode — “WHEN you pray, say …” He expected that they would indeed pray.

For Personal Reflection: Do you make yourself available to these kinds of teachable moments or do you put people off until you are ready?

Resource:  Discipling Students to Pray Worksheet

More: Prayer Resources

The disciples observed Jesus preach, teach, and heal but we do not read in Scripture where they asked Him to teach them to preach, teach, or heal. They did, however, ask Him to teach them how to pray.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say . . .” (Lk. 11:1-4)

Could it be that Jesus made it so obvious that prayer was central to all else they might do that they saw this as their greatest need? His consistency undoubtedly taught them the necessity of praying to tap into the power source for any and all kinds of ministry.

Jesus’ Consistency in Praying Got Their Attention.

Though Jesus verbally taught about praying (Matt. 5:43-45; 6:7-14; Luke 10:2; 11:5-13; 18:9-14), He really got the disciples’ attention by how He prayed, helping them see their need to also make prayer a priority.

The day referenced in Luke 11 when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray was not the first time the disciples saw Jesus praying. Notice some of the examples recorded in Luke leading up to that day.

• Jesus prayed when he was baptized (Lk. 3:21).
• Jesus spent the night praying prior to choosing the twelve disciples (Lk. 6:12).
• Jesus “often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Lk. 5:16).
• Jesus offered prayers of thanksgiving when feeding the 5000 (Lk. 9:16).
• Jesus would pray in private when His disciples were with him (Lk. 9:18).
• Jesus prayed when He was transfigured in the presence of Peter, James, and John (Lk. 9:29).
• He prayed spontaneously after the disciples returned from their missions trip (Lk. 10:21).

Jesus’ Consistency in Praying Reinforced What He Taught Them.

The day referenced in Luke 11 when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray was not the last time the disciples would see Jesus praying. Having seen Him praying up to that point led to a teachable moment of readiness to learn more about praying. The instruction they received that day would be further reinforced by what they would yet see, especially in Jesus’ darkest hour. Here are some examples:

• Jesus gave thanks for the bread during their Passover celebration which He said represented His body which would be broken for them (Lk. 22:19).
• Jesus told Peter that He prayed for him that his faith would not fail in light of how he would betray Jesus (Lk. 22:32).
• Jesus agonized in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane with some of the disciples close by him (Lk. 22:40-46).
• Jesus prayed for the people crucifying Him that the Father would forgive them (Lk. 23:34).
• Jesus called out to the Father as He hung on the cross dying (Lk. 23:46).
• Jesus gave thanks when breaking bread with His disciples after His resurrection (Lk. 24:30).
• Jesus lifted up His hands to bless the disciples right before He ascended to heaven (Lk. 24:50-51).

Imagine the lessons the disciples learned about the importance of prayer as they watched their Messiah praying even in death. What they saw before in the good and busy days of ministry and what they heard Him say when they asked Him to teach them to pray, was reinforced exponentially as He remained consistent in prayer to the very end.

For Personal Reflection: Do you tend to let circumstances affect your prayer life or are you consistent in praying regardless of how busy or stressed you might be?

For More: Prayer Resources

Who best to show us the potential of teaching prayer by example than Jesus!

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, “When you pray, say . . .” (Lk. 11:1-4)

From Jesus we learn at least two factors involved in teaching prayer by example.

1. You need to be consistent in praying for others to take notice that you pray.
2. You need to be available to mentor or disciple people at teachable moments.

Learn more about the above factors by clicking on the links. Before delving into those aspects of Jesus’ practice, however, we need to first make sense out of praying for others to see us. Jesus Himself warned against that kind of praying.

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt. 6:5-6)

Yet, how will people know that you’re a person of prayer if they don’t see you praying? If they don’t see you consistently praying, how will your prayer life generate teachable moments?

Pay close attention to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6. Notice how He focused in on a person’s motivation. Jesus referred to those who love to pray in order to be seen by others … those who pray for show. If He called them hypocritical, then they obviously did something that lacked authenticity.

The Key to Teaching Prayer by Example: Authenticity

Modeling prayer isn’t something you purposefully do to set yourself up as an example. Rather, it happens because of true devotion to prayer (Col. 4:2), because you really do pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17), because you actually are fervent or passionate about praying (James 5:16). This kind of teaching can’t be contrived. An example in praying, prays to be heard by God, not to be an example in praying.

Others will take notice of an authentic prayer life, not because you try for them to see but because they can’t help but see. The disciples saw that Jesus made prayer a priority. He set apart special times of communing with the Father. Jesus would also pray spontaneously. He raised prayers of praise and thanksgiving and He also interceded and petitioned God. We don’t read of Jesus saying “Look at me” yet the disciples did look. Prayer was so much a part of Jesus’ life that they noticed.

If you want to teach prayer by example, don’t focus on yourself. When we focus on being an example, we open the door for pride, hypocrisy, and faulty motivations. Pray because you want to commune with your heavenly Father. Do it because you want to work in cooperation with God. Pray because you want to trust the Lord to work in all situations. Go to God in prayer because you want to let Him know that you view Him as worthy of all honor and praise.

Pray because you want God to hear you, not to impress others. Being noticed by others for your prayer life is a byproduct that happens when you are authentic, leading to teachable moments as others observe your example.

For Personal Reflection: Do you love to pray or do you love to be seen praying?

For More: Prayer Resources

Gossip can have grave consequences on prayer efforts like a prayer chain.

Coordinators need to put systems into place to help prevent gossip but the temptation is great.  Training people to be aware of the signs that sharing is turning into gossip can be helpful in dealing with this problem.

Gossip in prayer chains often starts out benign.  The person has good intentions.  Nonetheless, gossip is gossip.

Signs that Sharing is Turning into Gossip in Prayer Chains

More is discussed than what was originally passed on. Regardless of the intent, unless the person for whom prayer is requested granted permission for more to be shared, adding to the request quickly turns into gossip.

A hint of judgmentalism accompanies what is shared.  Regardless of the extent, any criticism, even what is termed constructive, starts to turn the sharing into gossip.

Justification of why something was shared seems necessary.  Regardless of the rational, if why something is shared isn’t obvious, it very possibly should not be shared.

What was shared gets passed on to someone not on the prayer chain.  Regardless of who that person is, failure to protect confidences turns sharing into gossip.

When people identify these signs, they need to confront it right away in themselves or in others.

Check Out: Prayer Resources

In a previous post, we looked at the consequences of gossip on prayer.  For a prayer chain to be effective, gossip must be stopped due to its destructive nature.  Better yet, prevent gossip by developing prayer efforts in ways that minimize the temptation.

Prevent Gossip in Prayer Chains

Develop a system whereby you moderate prayer requests before passing them along.  Pass on only needed  information. Details aren’t always required for people to pray effectively.  In sensitive situations that could lend itself to gossip, eliminate much of the personal information.  Change wording of prayer requests if necessary.  In some cases you might choose to not even send a request along.  —  People need to be aware of all this when giving a prayer request.

Develop a criteria for what requests will be approved to be sent on the chain.  Perhaps you will not take third party requests unless that person is aware and approves of what is being shared.  Otherwise, perhaps it should go out anonymous with as minimal identifying data as possible.

Develop a process for sharing requests that minimizes the addition of content. Requests could be written down or e-mailed rather than passed along verbally.  Or, you could use a automated recorded voice going out to everyone on the prayer chain.

Develop a plan for who is a part of the prayer chain.  Who says prayer chains need to be all inclusive, of anybody and everybody who desires to be on it?  It could be better to have a few people people who are committed and willing to abide by certain policies that protect confidentiality and prevent gossip than many people some of whom will only want to be on the chain to be kept in the “know.”  Proverbs provides some help on who would be good to be on the prayer chain and who to avoid:

A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. (Prov. 11:13)

A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.  (Prov. 20:19)

Develop a means of training people who are on the prayer chain.  They need to be aware of the purpose and priority of it.  They also need to be aware of expectations that include keeping confidences and not gossiping.  Help them understand signs that the passing on of the prayer request is moving into gossip.

Perpetuate Gossip-free Sharing in Prayer Efforts

Regularly communicate expectations to help prevent prayer chains from turning into gossip chains.

• Keep the high nature of what they are doing always before them.  It is a privilege, not a prerogative to be on the prayer chain.

• Keep mandatory guidelines always before them (privacy, confidentiality, etc.).

In keeping the above always before them, make sure to vary how you communicate it.  When always presented the same way, it becomes too easy to ignore it.

Check Out: Prayer Resources