All About GOD - Growing Relationships with Jesus and Others
So, How do we Pray?
So, how do we pray?
The followers of Jesus approached him with a simple request, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1) Obviously, the followers were confused and wanted their teacher to help them in their prayer life. They knew John the Baptist was teaching prayer to his disciples, so what might Jesus teach them? Most probably, these followers had witnessed Jesus praying in many places. Perhaps they had observed how prayer informed and impacted his life. Jesus embodied love and lived with a deep connection to God. How might they experience the presence of God in their life? These questions remain helpful today. Let us continue to learn from Jesus.
Prayer: A Conversation with a Loving Parent
Jesus shocked his disciples request for a lesson about prayer by beginning with the following words, "When you pray, say, 'Abba'. . ." In a single word, Jesus changed our human understanding of prayer and our approach to God. This word 'Abba' can be translated by a familiar slang of 'daddy' or 'papa'. Abba reflects much more of a loving, doting parent who wants to hear the thoughts and feelings of a child. No longer does God need to be seen as a distant, inapproachable judge waiting to condemn.
Instead, we are invited to approach God in prayer like a child who speaks to a loving parent. We offer to God our joys, hurts, wonderment, confusion, disappointment and all that we experience in this life. We extend our thanksgiving to God who listens to every word - the ranting and raving as well as the praise and joy. Like young children, our words of prayer to God might be blurted in phrases, ramblings, or single words. Some of our prayers might flow in complete, complex sentences or perhaps like poetry. Other times, there are no words. The pain is too deep. Like children, we cry, point to our wounds and sigh in silence, because there simply are no words to express the depth of our pain. (Romans 8:26-27) Like a loving parent who listens to a child, God hears. Yes, God truly listens to our prayers!
The followers of Jesus approached him with a simple request, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1) Obviously, the followers were confused and wanted their teacher to help them in their prayer life. They knew John the Baptist was teaching prayer to his disciples, so what might Jesus teach them? Most probably, these followers had witnessed Jesus praying in many places. Perhaps they had observed how prayer informed and impacted his life. Jesus embodied love and lived with a deep connection to God. How might they experience the presence of God in their life? These questions remain helpful today. Let us continue to learn from Jesus.
Prayer: A Conversation with a Loving Parent
Jesus shocked his disciples request for a lesson about prayer by beginning with the following words, "When you pray, say, 'Abba'. . ." In a single word, Jesus changed our human understanding of prayer and our approach to God. This word 'Abba' can be translated by a familiar slang of 'daddy' or 'papa'. Abba reflects much more of a loving, doting parent who wants to hear the thoughts and feelings of a child. No longer does God need to be seen as a distant, inapproachable judge waiting to condemn.
Instead, we are invited to approach God in prayer like a child who speaks to a loving parent. We offer to God our joys, hurts, wonderment, confusion, disappointment and all that we experience in this life. We extend our thanksgiving to God who listens to every word - the ranting and raving as well as the praise and joy. Like young children, our words of prayer to God might be blurted in phrases, ramblings, or single words. Some of our prayers might flow in complete, complex sentences or perhaps like poetry. Other times, there are no words. The pain is too deep. Like children, we cry, point to our wounds and sigh in silence, because there simply are no words to express the depth of our pain. (Romans 8:26-27) Like a loving parent who listens to a child, God hears. Yes, God truly listens to our prayers!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Pastor Bob B on
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Thank you Prayerquake, I love what you wrote." In a single word, Jesus changed our human understanding of prayer and our approach to God." Abba. I have heard people pray using Dad or Daddy, Abba is more closely translated Daddy than even Dad. My 24 year old son still calls me Daddy some times when no ones around and it warms my heart. Prayer is all about relationship, not about mouthing words taught from a book, but words that flow from a heart that is in relationship with thier hevenly Abba. -
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Permalink Reply by PrayerQuake on
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Bob,
Thanks for the encouragement. Yes it's good to think of Praying to God who loves you like a Daddy. -
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Mr. Spell, One of the secrets to praying is to do lots of it. And when you do it just come to God the way you are and pray and He will keep guiding you.
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Some times Christian see the word prayer and do not really understand what prayer is. I love how Prayerquake put it. do it a lot. Prayer is talking to God, but it is also listening. We can know what to pray when we pray what the Bible says is God's will.
go to www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html - 2k and you can listen to an autio Bible.
Also listening to Christian music is great to learn scripture because a lot of music is filled with scripture. God wants to have a relationship with you and it begins by talking a lot to him. -
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Permalink Reply by Michael Daniel on
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it is good to read the views about how to pray. what i learn in my life God is our father. just simply if our want to discuss something with our father, we simply say our request, problem etc in a very simple way. we don't use complicated words. Just talk to the point. If He does something for us, we say " thank you dad, love you". we never say "o father , we have come to you to say thanks for you have done for me. Thankyou verymuch. the way i pray is simply as i am talking to my friend, who is always beside me.i never Choose a time to have talk with God. Prayer is simple talking to the God. As Jesus said I am your friend. Listen to him what he says and tell him what you say.And if we consider as friend, we can belive him.and can have want we pray for because He said "if you belive, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (matthew 21:22). A one word is a prayer, and a long conversation is also a prayer....Always talk to him, He listen to our hearts not lips. this is unceasing prayer.
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Permalink Reply by felixpadua on
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michael, i do believe all of the replies here are good ones. i learn something from every reply here. i really want to know how to pray to the Father, how prayers are said, so that you get the answers from Him loud and clear. thank you so much.
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thank you for your write-up on prayer. i am blessed with your ideas today. thank you, thank you, brother PQ!
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Permalink Reply by soldout4_christ on
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Hey Brother,
If as Christians, followers of Christ, we can apply these principles to our prayer life, we can experience God's best for our lives, as He wants to so bless us in every aspects of our lives, but, we approach the Most High God in a wrong manner, by this i mean, we should go to TMHG with fear and reverence, we often go anyhow and anyway, and his word says Holy and unholy cannot abide, so lets approach God as (Luke 11:1-4) say and see how our Sovereign God works. I am also speaking to myself.
Servant of the Most High God -
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