Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, Lord… I. WHY JESUS IS TO BE REGARDED AS THE TEACHER OF PRAYER. It should be taken for granted that knowing how to pray is the first of all essentials. If we want information we may have it. There was once a man in Palestine who said that He was the Son of God, and what He did proved that what He said was true. When we would know how to pray, we, like the first disciples, think that if any one can tell us He can. He is the Teacher of prayer. That is His business. Now He is ascended, His disciples are always learning to pray, and He is always teaching. In all our approaches to the Infinite Unseen, we have first to do with Jesus; every prayer must reach His ear before we have the answer to it. II. How HE TEACHES. 1. Sometimes by means of an overheard prayer. It was so in the chapter of events to which the text belongs. 2. Jesus teaches us to pray by our troubles. "Nature in an agony is no atheist." 3. Jesus teaches prayer by revealing Himself as the one medium of prayer. 4. Jesus teaches us to pray by making His own Spirit the spirit of our lives. 5. Jesus teaches to pray by quickening the sense of difficulty. (1) One difficulty is realizing God. (2) Another is the frequent coldness of desire Godward. (3) Another, the effect on our souls of the atmosphere in which we have to live. (4) Another, vain thoughts. If, said Philip Henry, "our prayers were written down and our vain thoughts interlined, what nonsense there would be!" (5) A kindred difficulty is the restlessness we often feel in the act of prayer.Every one of us can understand the entry made by homely William Smith of Coalville, in the diary of his soul: "While at prayer my mind was rather shifting. I had to bring it back and ask it to sit down." We are baffled and weighted by ignorance, by infirmity, and by countless things, which together make such a total that we feel inclined to think with Coleridge that "the act of praying, in its most perfect form, is the very highest energy of which the human mind is capable." The difficulty does not begin when we begin to pray under the teaching of Christ, but the sense of it does; and this He uses for carrying on His purpose. When you have made acquaintance with a thing through difficulties you are more sure of your ground. By quickening the sense of difficulty the Angel wrestles us into strength, and teaches the suppliant to say, "I will not let Thee go except Thou bless me." (Dr. Stanford.)It is remarkable that Jesus only teaches prayer, never the philosophy of prayer. The sentiment of not a few appears to be, that this philosophy is the very thing that we have first to learn. The first questions, even of Christians, are too often simply speculative; and in almost every one of the many treatises on prayer they have given to the world in recent years, a large space is taken up with the discussion of such questions. More than they are aware, they are influenced in this direction by the spirit of the times. Each young believer is now likely to be brought more or less in contact with some theorist who owns no higher teacher of religion than science, who smiles down upon him, assures him that the discoveries of science prove the alleged power of prayer to be impossible; and says, "It is useless for you to expect that the laws of nature will be set aside because you pray!" "Who wants the laws of nature to be set aside?" might be the reply. "Assuredly I do not. I know very little about the laws of nature, and even you know very little more. For aught your science can show, it may be quite possible for God to answer prayers, without in the least degree touching the settled constitution of the universe." Our conviction is that we find wrought into our very nature, as one of its primary principles, the instinct that prompts to prayer. (Dr. Stanford.) Parallel Verses KJV: And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. |
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