PRAYING

. . . to be more effective in prayer!

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of his disciples said to him, “ Lord teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples” (Luke 11:1).

Lord, what it would have been like to have heard You pray! We fear that we do not pray like You prayed. In Gethsemane, You prayed so fervently that sweat dripped from Your body. Blood fled the tiny openings in Your skin. On the Mount of Transfiguration, You glowed as You communed with the Father as if Your whole body were illuminated by an inner light. Hebrews says You prayed with “vehement cries and tears” (5:7). We don’t pray like that. Our praying lacks passion. We don’t weep over lost souls as we should. We are often tearless even in the face of the coldness and backsliding of our own children. Teach us to pray. We know prayer is not the words we say. It isn’t style or posture. It isn’t fluency or vocabulary. Some think it is, and fear praying aloud. Rid us of such pride. Teach us childlike prayer. Sometimes the best praying is in our stumbling and stuttering. Teach us to cry out. To lift our voices with passion. Break our hearts. Wet our eyes. May the fountains of our hearts be opened. Forgive us for using holy words and calling it real prayer. Forgive us for making prayer about us. May we, like the disciples, get caught up in Your praying. May we, with the help of the Spirit, join our voice with Your voice. You are praying, right now, in heaven. May we on earth join Your prayer. Let me pray like You, Jesus, by the enabling of the Holy Spirit. Amen