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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: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’”

Sometimes when I pray with young children, I’m humbly reminded of the wonderful faith God is working in them. I listen to their heartfelt and honest prayers thanking God for their school or for sending Jesus to die on the cross, telling God they love him, asking God to care for a parent or help a classmate, and I learn something from them – to approach God with joy and thanksgiving and to pray for other people and their needs, not just my own.

One day, after seeing Jesus pray, his disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Like his disciples, we can learn some things for our own prayer life from Jesus’ response. First, we want to recognize what a privilege and blessing prayer is – an opportunity to have a conversation with God our Father, our Creator. This is only possible because of Jesus our Savior; we were dead in our sins and separated from God, but Jesus paid for our sins in full with his death and resurrection. Now, as God’s children, we have access and a relationship with God; we can pray to him at anytime and anywhere and trust that he hears us and acts for our eternal good.

When we pray, we acknowledge who God is – all-powerful, all-knowing, holy, and yet, our gentle, loving Father. In prayer, we have the opportunity to praise him for his goodness, marvel at his greatness, and talk with him just like young children share their questions, stories, and concerns with their daddy.

In Jesus’ response, we also hear his encouragement to pray “your kingdom come.” Prayer is about bringing our will in alignment with what God wants and so we ask that God’s will would be done on earth as we wait for the day when we will join him in heaven. We ask God to rule in the world, to establish his Church, and to work saving faith in people’s hearts.

In prayer, we can also thank God for the many blessings he gives us – family, friends, good health, medical care when needed – and bring our requests to him. Jesus’ prayer from our text (the Lord’s prayer) provides a model to pray for daily bread, forgiveness, and deliverance from temptation. We also have the amazing privilege to pray on behalf of others, to ask God to protect, heal, strengthen, or equip those in need.

In this section of scripture, Jesus gives us a pattern and language for our own prayer lives, and later in this chapter of Luke, Jesus teaches us to be persistent in prayer. God wants to hear from you, no matter the time of day, no matter the need. And like the disciples, we can ask, “Lord, teach us to pray.” He’ll do that as we spend time in his Word and spend time talking to him in prayer – and sometimes, he might do that as we witness the earnest and loving prayers of the young children we serve.

Dear God, thank you for the amazing privilege to approach you in prayer. As we study your Word, increase our trust in you and our understanding of your good and perfect will. Teach us to pray boldly for one another and continue to provide for both our physical and spiritual needs. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In the Bible, despite the demanding schedule of his ministry on earth, Jesus gives us a great example of taking time to pray, to talk to God one-on-one away from distraction. What would help you strengthen your prayer life this week?