How to pray to God

Luke 11:1-13

In our message for last Sunday, titled, Blessing for Helpers of the Helpless, we saw that anyone can be in a situation of helplessness. We also saw that what is expected of anyone in such a situation is to cry out to God in prayer, like David did. Prayer, indeed, is God’s recommended action on the part of anyone in a helpless situation. Jesus demonstrated this by His prayer life (Hebrews 5:7— “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission”). The passage before us in Luke 11 begins with Jesus praying. When he finished praying, one of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. John apparently taught his disciples how to pray and now Jesus is being asked to teach His own disciples how to pray. We all need to know, not only the importance of prayer, but also how to pray, particularly in view of the challenges and difficulties we are currently facing in our nation. This morning we want to learn what Jesus teaches on how to pray to God.

First, prayer should be for the fulfillment of God’s purposes (11:1-2). Jesus begins by calling God, “Father.” God wants all men to have a personal relationship with Him. We are, therefore, instructed to speak intimately with God, that is, speaking with him as our Father. To be able to call God our Father, we must repent from our sins and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour (Gal. 3:26— “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus”). Jesus continues by teaching us to pray for the name of God to be kept holy. The word hallowed means holy. God wants His name to be kept holy. What it means for God’s name to be kept holy can be seen in Ezekiel 36:22-23, “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.” God wants His holiness to always be revealed in the world. God told Ezekiel that He always acts on behalf of His holy name. Unfortunately, the people of Israel had profaned God’s holiness through their speech and actions. In order to pray and expect to be heard by God, we must uphold the holiness of God through our speech and action. We must not use God’s name as a curse word. We must not throw the name of God around as if it were a common exclamation. Our words must uphold the high holiness of God. Our lives must reveal God’s holiness and not discredit the name of God to the world. Jesus continues by instructing the disciples to pray for the coming of the kingdom. God wants His rule to extend beyond Heaven, where it is absolute, to earth, where there are many pockets of resistance to it. God’s priority is for His rule to come into the world and into the heart of every person. We are to pray for all powers and authorities to be subjected to Christ. We are to pray for every person to be subjected to Christ. The kingdom is already here and will continue its reign until every enemy of Christ has been subjugated.

Second, prayer should be for the supply of God’s provisions (11:3-4). Jesus teaches his disciples to depend on God physically and spiritually. Praying for our daily bread reveals our dependence on God to provide our physical needs. Through prayer, we are recognizing that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. We are acknowledging that our physical blessings are given to us by God. Further, we are to rely on God for forgiveness of sins. We cannot be heard by God if we harbour any unconfessed sins in our heart. But our forgiveness is contingent on forgiving others. We must readily forgive others and not hold grudges against them because God has forgiven us. “Lead us into temptation” is prayer to God not to allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able to bear or resist. Prayer is the way we express our dependence on God. Prayer humbles us so that we accept in our hearts that we need God and understand that we cannot live without him.

Third, prayer should be with boldness (11:5-8). He did this by telling a parable. The man in Jesus’s parable has a friend who arrived from a journey and the man has no food to give him. He, therefore, went to a neighbour in the dead of night to get some food for his guest. The neighbour says he will not get up and give him anything because the door is shut and the children are in bed with them. The whole family will wake up if he gets up and opens the door. Verse 8 is the point of the parable. The friend will get up, not because they are friends, but because of this man’s boldness. Many translations read “persistence” but many scholars point out that persistence is not exactly the point. The stress is not on persistence or repetition of the request, as much as it is on the boldness or the nerve of the request. This man had boldness and impudence to make this request at such an hour. Jesus’ point is that we must pray boldly with shameless nerve. Prayer is the audaciously bold request for God to do what he has promised. When we pray, we are revealing our complete dependence on God. We are telling God what is happening in our lives and the things that we need spiritually or physically. Therefore, you must go to God in prayer boldly. Ask for great things to happen in your life. You are given the offer to make bold, audacious requests to your Lord. What have you been afraid to ask God to do in your life? Are you struggling with daily food because of economic conditions or physical hardships? God said you should pray for that and pray boldly for it. Are you struggling in your faith? God tells you to make audacious prayers for your spiritual life. Are you trying to encourage another brother or sister in Christ? God says you should pray boldly for them. Are you trying to share the gospel with your friends? Shamelessly pray for their souls.

Fourth, God responds to prayer as a Father to a child (11:9-13). The final paragraph shows how God will respond to such prayers. Verse 9 tells us to ask and keep asking; to seek and keep seeking; and to knock and keep knocking. God will answer the bold requests made in His name. Verse 10. “For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” God provides for his children. Jesus, then, uses an illustration to explain why God answers prayers. He said, in verses 11-12, What father would give a snake to the son who asks for a fish? What father will give his son a scorpion when he asks for an egg? What father is going to give his child something that he does not need? Even more, what father is going to give his child something harmful? No father would do that. A father gives what a child needs and does not give what is harmful to them. Now watch the point in verse 13. If we are evil people and yet we know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Notice the interchangeable use of “good gifts” and “Holy Spirit” in this text. Matthew 7:11 reads exactly as Luke 11:13 except Matthew says “good gifts” rather than “Holy Spirit.” I think this is a very important point that Luke is making. Luke’s focus is on the good gifts that were promised through the Holy Spirit. The prophets wrote that the Holy Spirit would be poured out and the imagery signified the restoration of God’s kingdom, the restoration of God’s fellowship with them, and the restoration of God’s blessings to his people. The restoration of God’s blessings to his people is in view by Luke. We are given a blank check request for the necessities of the spiritual life. God is going to give you everything you need to get through this life. Ask him boldly for the things you need as you depend on him. God is going to provide for his children. He is not going to give a scorpion when you need an egg. God is going to give you his blessings when you ask. What do you truly need right now? Ask God. Shamelessly be persistent in your request to the God who gives you every good gift and perfect blessing for your life.

If you wish to give your life to Christ as a parent, please pray the following prayer to God: “Dear God, I thank you for sending Jesus into the world to die for my sins. I repent from my sins and invite Jesus into my life as my personal Lord and Saviour. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.”

If you are a child, are you developing as Jesus did or is there an area in which you fall short? If there is, it is the will of God for you to retrace your steps, put your faith in God and begin to grow, as God desires. Remember that you cannot develop properly without the power of God in your life. This power is made available to you when you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour. If you wish to do so, you can pray the prayer above.

Your eternal salvation and spiritual well-being are our concerns. If you prayed to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, please write to let us know through the address below. You may also join us in worshipping God in Yoruba language at 7.30 a.m. or in English language at 9.00 a.m. every Sunday.