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Luke 11:5-13

Active Prayer

I wonder whether the Lord’s Prayer ought to have been called ‘the Disciples’ Prayer.” After all Jesus taught it to the disciples so that they would learn to pray in a way that would change their relationship with God. They would go from uploading prayer requests to entering into a close relationship with God, learning to speak with him rather than ‘at’ him.

Christ came to restore my relationship with God so that I live my life as God’s steward of all he has given to me in my life. I have a family to provide for, I have work to do, I have friends to care for and I have a community in which I live and contribute to. In every part of my life I am learning to live with God. I’m changing from telling God what to give me to talking with God about my (our) life and responsibilities.

Jesus has been teaching me that when I come to my Heavenly Father in prayer I should do so with the confidence of a Son who knows his Father is willing, generous and good. God is not like someone whom I’m waking up in the middle of the night. He is never annoyed to hear from me, he never rolls his eyes at me when I come to him in need of help.

I love how God wants me to be active with him. He encourages me to ask, seek and knock by promising that he will give to me what I ask for, I will find what I’m looking for and when I knock the door will be opened for me. With God I can face my fears and overcome them with his help. With God I can rebuild relationships I’ve ruined. With God I can have victory where I’ve always failed. With God what I do leaves an eternal legacy in the people I have sought to serve in a Christlike way. With God all things are possible. With God my prayers are always active.  the Rev

Luke 11:5-13 Pray Part 2

Exercises

• Discuss why you can be confident when you pray that God will not only hear you but will also answer your prayer (v5-10).

• Christ gives us a prayer model in v1-4. How might this model help us understand why we are encouraged to be confident and persevering when we ask, seek and knock?

• Christ gives us a prayer model in v1-4. How does this encourage us to trust God when we pray to him (v11-13)?