It happened on an ordinary day.

Jesus had withdrawn to a solitary place to pray—something he did regularly, a rhythm his disciples had observed countless times. After Jesus finished praying, one of his disciples approached him with a request that would change everything: "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1).

It's a remarkable request when you think about it. These were Jewish men. They'd been praying since childhood. But they'd seen something different in Jesus. They'd watched him pray with an intimacy, an authority, an expectation they'd never witnessed before. His prayers weren't performances or recitations. 

 When Jesus prayed, things happened. Sick people were healed. Demons fled. Storms calmed. The Father's will was done.

We will go deeper in the Lord’s prayer around five phrases in the prayer: Our Father, Your Kingdom, Give us, Forgive us, Lead and Deliver us. This is an invitation to go deeper by Learning to Pray with Jesus.

There were three core elements to the very heart of Jesus’ mission: he came to announce the Kingdom, to heal the sick, and to destroy the works of the devil. He sent his followers to do the same. He said that those who believe in him would do the things that he did. The church over the centuries has experienced spurts in the expectation of divine healing. We have a mixed emotional response to healing – we are in awe at the times when God has raised someone up supernaturally and we are confused and disappointed when we do not get the immediate healing for which we prayed. We need to go back to the Scriptures to get a biblically grounded and theologically nuanced understanding of healing so that we can pray with a kingdom perspective.

There were three core elements to the very heart of Jesus’ mission: he came to announce the Kingdom, to heal the sick, and to destroy the works of the devil. He sent his followers to do the same. He said that those who believe in him would do the things that he did. The church over the centuries has experienced spurts in the expectation of divine healing. We have a mixed emotional response to healing – we are in awe at the times when God has raised someone up supernaturally and we are confused and disappointed when we do not get the immediate healing for which we prayed. We need to go back to the Scriptures to get a biblically grounded and theologically nuanced understanding of healing so that we can pray with a kingdom perspective.

There were three core elements to the very heart of Jesus’ mission: he came to announce the Kingdom, to heal the sick, and to destroy the works of the devil. He sent his followers to do the same. He said that those who believe in him would do the things that he did. The church over the centuries has experienced spurts in the expectation of divine healing. We have a mixed emotional response to healing – we are in awe at the times when God has raised someone up supernaturally and we are confused and disappointed when we do not get the immediate healing for which we prayed. We need to go back to the Scriptures to get a biblically grounded and theologically nuanced understanding of healing so that we can pray with a kingdom perspective.

There were three core elements to the very heart of Jesus’ mission: he came to announce the Kingdom, to heal the sick, and to destroy the works of the devil. He sent his followers to do the same. He said that those who believe in him would do the things that he did. The church over the centuries has experienced spurts in the expectation of divine healing. We have a mixed emotional response to healing – we are in awe at the times when God has raised someone up supernaturally and we are confused and disappointed when we do not get the immediate healing for which we prayed. We need to go back to the Scriptures to get a biblically grounded and theologically nuanced understanding of healing so that we can pray with a kingdom perspective.

There were three core elements to the very heart of Jesus’ mission: he came to announce the Kingdom, to heal the sick, and to destroy the works of the devil. He sent his followers to do the same. He said that those who believe in him would do the things that he did. The church over the centuries has experienced spurts in the expectation of divine healing. We have a mixed emotional response to healing – we are in awe at the times when God has raised someone up supernaturally and we are confused and disappointed when we do not get the immediate healing for which we prayed. We need to go back to the Scriptures to get a biblically grounded and theologically nuanced understanding of healing so that we can pray with a kingdom perspective.

God uses unusual people and circumstances to reveal his Son’s coming into the world.

God uses unusual people and circumstances to reveal his Son’s coming into the world.