Jesus And Me, Part 11: Teach Me To Pray

Brian Behrends, Creative Pastor

Luke 11:1
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray…”

Matthew 6:9–15
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
      on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
      as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
      but deliver us from the evil one.”

Our Father —

Hallowed be your name —

Psalm 100:1–4
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
      Worship the Lord with gladness;
      come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
      It is he who made us, and we are his;
      we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
      and his courts with praise
      give thanks to him and praise his name.

Your kingdom come —

Philippians 1:21–25
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith…

Give us today our daily bread —

Proverbs 30:7–9
“Two things I ask of you, Lord;
      do not refuse me before I die:
Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
      give me neither poverty nor riches,
      but give me only my daily bread.
Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
      and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
      and so dishonor the name of my God.

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors —

There’s no amen —

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Pray as you can.

Small Group Questions

1. If someone listened to your prayers, what would they assume matters most to you?
2. Read Matthew 6:9–15. What surprises you most about what Jesus chooses to include in this prayer? Which part of this prayer is missing most from your normal prayers?
3. Jesus teaches us to pray for today’s needs, not tomorrow’s hypotheticals. Is this something you do naturally or do your prayers tend to drift toward future worries?
4. Why do you think forgiveness of others is tied so closely to receiving forgiveness?
5. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. What do you think it means when it says pray without ceasing? What is one practical way we can change our prayer life to make it more of an ongoing conversation instead of a scheduled monologue?
6. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?