Luke 11:1-13
The Lord's Prayer
11 He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." 2 He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your
name.
Your kingdom come.
3 Give us each day our daily
bread.
4 And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive
everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the
time of trial."
Perseverance in Prayer
5 And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread;6 for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.'7 And he answers from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.
9 "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
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MUSINGS
"Lord, teach us to pray."
In this Gospel lesson, the disciples witness Jesus praying (apart from them) and want him to teach them how to pray. It makes me wonder how the disciples were praying before - and what did they see in the image of Jesus praying, that makes them want the same experience?
Jesus teaches them by giving them a basic structure, covering the necessary aspects. His prayer is not overly wordy. He is not flowery, he is not lengthy and he doesn't belabor points. I feel that this prayer, The Lord's Prayer, is a perfect template for us. It includes what it should and is a great base to build off of. For those who are just getting started, like the disciples in the Gospel of Luke, this is a great starter prayer - a way to break into the often intimidating "prayer life" for a new Christian or can be used when we don't know what to say or if we feel we don't have the proper words. Indeed, we continue to use it to this day because it is so comprehensive.
He follows the prayer with a parable of a man seeking bread from his friend at a late hour. The man is seeking bread so he may be a hospitable host for an unexpected guest. His friend is initially not willing to help him, but acquiesces due to the man's persistence. Jesus tells them that everyone who asks receives. This statement, for those of us who have experienced unanswered prayers, is a bitter pill to swallow. We do not receive all we ask for when we pray. Through our pain and disappointment, we recognize that it is not our will but God's that is done. We know that sometimes when we make plans, God laughs. So what is Jesus talking about when he says we will receive what we ask for, that the door will open when we knock?
I think Jesus is talking about our relationship with God. The disciples want to pray like Jesus, and he gives them words, but it is much more than reciting words - it is the experience. What Jesus experiences is a connection to God through prayer. This connection deepens our relationship to God. Whether God is answering our requests or not, but more we are in conversation with him, the more we receive.
We may not receive precisely what we ask for, but we receive exactly what we need. We receive grace and unconditional love - two gifts the likes of which we cannot receive from anyone other than God. I think what Jesus is trying to teach the disciples, is that we need to communicate regularly with God, simply, honestly and passionately and listen to what God is telling us. When we open our mouths to pray, we also need to open our hearts. This is to pray the way Jesus prayed.
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