A PhD student at Princeton University once walked into Albert Einstein’s office and asked, ‘What is there left in the world for original dissertation research?’ The brilliant scientist replied, ‘Find out about prayer.’ Einstein wasn’t the only person who was curious about prayer. Jesus taught about it, and the reason was because the disciples asked Him to. They may not have desired to write dissertations on it, but they wanted to know how to pray. It’s the only time in the Bible where one person clearly teaches another person how to pray, and all because of a request from the disciples. ‘Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray”’ (Luke 11:1 NIV). The disciples had been observing Jesus as He prayed. Apparently, the way He prayed was so distinct from the way they prayed that they said, ‘Show us how to pray the way you pray.’ Before Jesus fed the multitude supernaturally, or selected His twelve disciples, or calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He took time to pray. And the results of His prayers were so amazing that the disciples said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’ Prayer is not primarily about telling God what you need; it’s about getting closer to God. As one pastor writes: ‘It’s almost as if God is saying, “Don’t bring me your shopping list. I already know what’s on it. We will deal with that later. Bring me your heart. Bring me your love. Bring me your undivided attention.”’ Prayer is not mainly about getting things from the Lord; it’s about spending time with the Lord.

© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.