Teach Us to Pray
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
Psalm 138 and Luke 11:1-13
July 27, 2025
I remember one Christmas at an early age, my Granny, my Daddy’s mother, gave me a prayer book for children titled, Prayers for Children. It was one of the valued Little Golden Books that I owned, and I confess as I was writing this, I had to stop and go to Amazon to see if I could find it, and yes! It was there!
I was six years old when I received this book, and I remember its bright red cover with the little boy and girl pictured. The boy had his head bowed, eyes closed and hands folded flat in front of him, while the little girl was wide-eyed with her hands in prayer position.
For the first time, it occurs to me that in those two examples, we are shown we can pray in a prepared in prayer position, or wide-eyed and alert with wonder. The key point is that we pray.
There were a lot of prayers in the home I grew up in, and I often referred to my little red book for reference and learning different prayers, especially, the bedtime prayer.
We prayed a lot at church, although, I never really liked being called on in Sunday School to say a prayer and never became comfortable with saying prayers aloud. I preferred the “when you pray, pray in your closet” method. Not that I ever really prayed in the closet, but certainly privately in my room with the door closed.
As I continued to grow older, prayer still did not come easy, but I would reluctantly pray when called upon, while avoiding eye contact so as not to hear my name called.
The more involved in church I became, the more prayer was expected of me, and I don’t know if I ever felt comfortable with it, or if I still do….although, I am starting to realize there are two very important factors to praying. 1) It’s important to listen to what you are being asked to pray for; and 2) It’s important to realize that you are having a conversation with God.
When the disciple asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray,” he wanted to be sure that he was doing it right. If there is one thing that I have come to learn is that there is not wrong or right in the words spoken. Rather, it is the intention of the prayer that is important.
Like everything in our lives, we are afraid we are going to be judged by what we are saying when we pray, and you may be judged by someone or a group of people; however, the important thing to remember is that it is YOUR conversation with GOD.
Each day, my experience is that I continue to improve on listening to what others’ needs are and pray for what I hear they are asking.
Prayer is often not a request for something, rather a celebration of something. A thanksgiving to which we say, “to God be the praise and glory,” or “we give God the glory and praise.”
Moving from a closet prayer to a public prayer is probably the most difficult challenge that I faced. Even when I prepare my prayers in advance and see the words printed before me, it can still be intimidating.
Prayer is one of the most humbling positions we can take before God. It’s a time that we set aside to be in God’s presence, and sometimes, it is a spur of the moment prayer that is required. Either way, it is us putting ourselves before an awesome and powerful God.
The recounting of The Lord’s Prayer in Luke’s scripture is somewhat of a shortened version than in the Gospel of Matthew. However, it’s description is also followed by a story from Jesus on having perseverance in prayer.
The definition of perseverance means to make a continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition. It’s being steadfast in our action to continue to pray.
Praying takes our action and our perseverance to pray for friends, family, and even strangers.
Jesus says, “For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Jesus does not say that we always get what we pray for, although he does say when we search for an answer we find it, and doors will be opened.
Prayer is a part of our spiritual journey and growth as we make a continued effort to achieve goals despite difficulties and failures.
You all know how much I love C.S. Lewis, and I wanted to share with you a few of his thoughts on prayer found in his letters:
‘The prayer preceding all prayer is, “May it be the real I who speaks. May it be the real Thou that I speak to.” Infinitely various are the levels from which we pray. Emotional intensity is in itself no proof of spiritual depth. If we pray in terror we shall pray earnestly; it only proves that terror is an earnest emotion. Only God Himself can let the bucket down to the depths in us. And, on the other side, He must constantly work as the iconoclast.” (Note by me: Yes! I had to look that word up! An iconoclast challenges established norms and conventions.) C. S. Lewis continues, “Every idea of Him we form, He must in mercy shatter. The most blessed result of prayer would be to rise thinking “But I never knew before. I never dreamed….”’
And from his essay, “Cross-Examination,” God in the Dark:
‘We have our New Testament regimental orders upon the subject. I would take it for granted that everyone who becomes a Christian would undertake this practice. It is enjoined upon us by our Lord; and since they are His commands, I believe in following them. It is always just possible that Jesus Christ meant what He said when He told us to seek the secret place and to close the door.’
Other comments on prayer from his letters:
‘”Thy will be done.” But a great deal of it is to be done by God’s creatures; including me. The petition, then, is not merely that I may patiently suffer God’s will but also that I may vigorously do it. I must be an agent as well as a patient. I am asking that I may be enabled to do it.’
‘We make a great mistake by quoting, “thy will be done” without the rest of the sentence “on earth as it is in Heaven.” That is the real point, isn’t it? Not merely submission but a prayer that we may be enabled to do God’s will as (in the same way as) angels and blessed human spirits do it, with alacrity & delight like players in an orchestra responding spontaneously to the conductor.’
And he continues….
‘I fully agree that “Thy will be done” should principally be taken in the sense that “God’s will has blank well got to be done even if I have to go and do it myself.”’
Last, he writes,
‘I am beginning to feel that we need a preliminary act of submission not only towards possible future afflictions but also towards possible future blessings. I know it sounds fantastic; but think it over. It seems to me that we often, almost sulkily, reject the good that God offers us because, at that moment, we expected some other god.’
You see the struggle that C. S. Lewis has with defining and understanding prayer.
After reading all of these writings by C.S. Lewis, it made me aware that the disciple asking Jesus, “Teach us to pray,” was a prayer within itself.
In Psalm, David’s beautiful prayer of thanksgiving in praise sums it up for us, “I called, you answered, and you increased the strength of my soul.”
Let us continue to have perseverance in prayer so that we can strengthen both our souls and the souls of others. And remember, prayer is our communication with God. There is no right or wrong way to do it. It’s just us being real with the One who is real.