Many people are unhappy with their prayer life. In this passage, it appears that Jesus’ disciples shared a similar concern. They saw Jesus’ prayer life and wanted to know how they could cultivate a similar relationship with God.
Jesus’ response to the disciples’ question of “how can we pray?” is a brief, powerful teaching of how to grow one’s prayer life.
The teaching that Jesus gives here has come to be known as The Lord’s Prayer and is still a staple in churches around the world, over a millennium later. The version of Jesus’ prayer presented here in St Luke’s Gospel is a shorter, more concise version of the same prayer in St Matthew’s Gospel.
The primary focus of Jesus’ prayer can be summed up in his first word: “Father.” The Hebrew word Jesus uses here is Abba. It is
better translated as “papa,” “dad”, or “daddy.” It is an intimate way to describe a loving parent.
His profound familial relationship with God encapsulates the essence of Jesus’ prayer life. The primary reason Jesus had such a healthy and prosperous prayer life was that he lived in close relationship with God. His whole life (teaching, serving, working) was prayer. Everything that Jesus taught about prayer flowed from this foundational understanding of God as
Abba, Father.
How would you describe your prayer life?
Do you see prayer as a small part of your day/week, or do you see prayer as a close relationship with God, as Jesus did?
Reflections by Joe Taylor
