“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of his disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” – Luke 11:1 (NIV)
Have you ever stopped and asked yourself this question: ‘Why did the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray?’ What may have prompted them to make such a request? What was the secret of Jesus’ prayer life?
I have observed from the Gospels that our Lord Jesus Christ, at various intervals of the day, would go to a solitary place by Himself, where He would commune with His Father in prayer. As children of God, we also must develop such an attitude of spending quality time in the presence of our Heavenly Father.
His disciples had observed that whenever Jesus returned from prayer and interfaced with the people, miracles happened. But what is noteworthy is the way these miracles were performed. For example:
- The man in the synagogue with an unclean spirit began to manifest, and Jesus said to the evil spirit, “Be quiet, and come out of him.” It came out of him and did not hurt him. The people were astounded with His authority and power to command the unclean spirits (Luke 4:33-36).
- There was a man with leprosy who requested Jesus to cleanse him from his leprosy. Jesus stretched out His hand, touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately, the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed. (Mark 1:40-44).
- The centurion, whose servant was lying at home “paralysed, dreadfully tormented”, requested that Jesus heal him. Having recognised Jesus’ authority, the centurion requested that Jesus “only speak a word” and his servant would be healed; Jesus didn’t have to go physically. Amazed, Jesus said, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” His servant was healed that same hour. (Matthew 8:5-13).
The recorded miracles that Jesus performed were after the period He spent in prayer. The disciples understood that the power and annointing that was upon Jesus was a result of His life of prayer. Therefore, their request to Him was not to teach them how to perform miracles but instead to teach them how to pray.
With such a prayer life like Jesus, we also would demonstrate the miraculous power of God in and through our lives by reading and speaking The Word. Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, and it is recorded also for us as to how to pray (Luke 11:1-4).
Read: Matthew 6:9-15; Luke 7:11-17
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 10:1-11; Matthew 12:46-50; Matthew 13:1-17; Genesis 34; Genesis 35
