Teach Us To Pray

Good morning. We would like to enroll in the school of prayer. If you were to ask me what is the greatest need in the church today, I would say prayer. One of the fine guests who's been here all week stopped me on the grounds. He said, "Brother Wiersbe, I want to ask you a question. Why is it it's so hard to get people to come to pray?"

Now, sometimes it's because the prayer meeting is not exciting. Why a prayer meeting should be dull is more than I can understand. When we were in Youth for Christ (John DeBrine and I were in Youth for Christ together; some of you were ministering in Youth for Christ), our prayer meetings were exciting. We'd have all-night prayer meetings. Some of you remember Peter Deyneka, Sr., "Much prayer, much power. No prayer, no power." We'd pray all night. Oh, it was exciting.

Some of the dullest meetings I've been to have been prayer meetings, where somebody stands up in the back and you can't hear them. You did that with Peter Deyneka, "Speak up! Speak up! Want to hear! Want to say amen!" That's biblical, isn't it? Or someone spends 15 minutes giving a prayer request. That's not necessary. We're there to pray.

And so let's enroll today in the school of prayer, Luke 11. "And it came to pass, as he," Jesus, "was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, that one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.'"

Now, as we enroll in the school of prayer, we're going to discover something rather interesting and helpful, I think. This, there are four levels to the school of prayer. There's a grade school level, a high school level, a college level, and a graduate school level. And if we learn the first lesson, we can matriculate to the second, and then to the third, and then to the fourth, if we really want to pray.

Now here's the grade school level. The The lesson is really very simple. When I tell you, you're going to say, "You mean I came just to hear that? It's rather obvious." Well, let me say it anyway. When you enroll in the school of prayer, the lesson we learn at the grade school level is this: we must pray. Say, "I know that." Well, then do we? Do it. We must pray.

Now, notice the logic of this. John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray. We usually think of John the Baptist as a preacher, a bold, courageous preacher, a martyr. John performed no miracles. Rather interesting. There's a movement abroad in America today that says you cannot have evangelism without signs and wonders.

John the Baptist did. In fact, he was winning people to Christ after he was dead. People were saying, "John did no miracle, but everything he spoke about this man were true was true, and many believed on him." John didn't do any miracles. D. L. Moody never did a miracle. He's still winning people to Christ.

John the Baptist prayed. Now, John the Baptist was a miracle baby, filled with the Holy Spirit before he was born, and yet he had to pray. He was related in the flesh to the Lord Jesus. They may have been cousins, but he had to pray. He had a divine commission from God, but he had to pray. He was prophesied in the Old Testament, but he had to pray. Now, if that was true of John the Baptist, where does that leave me?

Not only that, the disciples had to pray. They came and said, not "Teach us to preach," not "Teach us how to take offerings," not "Teach us how to administer the work of the Lord." "Teach us to pray." Friend, if we learn how to pray, we've solved our problems. If we've learned how to pray, we've won our battles.

The disciples had to pray. I would remind you the disciples were hand-picked by the Lord Jesus, but they had to pray. They were endued with special authority to raise the dead, but they had to pray. They were taught personally by the Lord Jesus from the Old Testament Scriptures, but they had to pray.

They didn't come and say, "Teach us how to outline the Bible." They didn't come and say, "Teach us how to analyze people's minds." No, they said, "Teach us to pray." Now if the disciples with all of their privileges had to pray, where does that leave us?

But Jesus had to pray. The Lord Jesus Christ was holy, harmless, undefiled, had a perfect nature. In Him was no sin, He did no sin, but He had to pray. The Holy Spirit of God was given to Him without measure, but He had to pray. He could read the hearts of the people who came to follow Him, but He had to pray. You see, when our Lord was here on earth, He lived just the way He expected His followers to live: by the Word of God, that's faith, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I sometimes hear Christians saying, "Well, it's no wonder Jesus overcame the devil. He was perfect, you know. Jesus was perfect." Uh-uh. He did not use His perfections to overcome the devil. That was the that was the devil's temptation: "Use your power as the Son of God to turn stones into bread." And Jesus said, "Oh no, man shall not live by bread alone." Didn't say God. Man.

He was saying, "Satan, you want me to solve my problems using my divine powers. I'm going to solve my problems by using the same methods my followers are going to use." He was filled with the Spirit, He had the Word of God, and He prayed. Now if Jesus with all of His perfections and power had to pray, where does that leave us?

Many Christians don't pray except for blessing the food or somewhere between the breakfast table and the garage uttering some kind of quick telegraph prayer to the Lord, or when there's trouble. We sing "Take Time to Be Holy." We don't. We have "God's Minute."

Isn't it wonderful that all day long we can give God a whole minute? We read a little bit of a devotional book and a prayer and a poem and a clever little thought, and we say we've talked to God. No, we haven't. Try that on your wife or your husband. See what it does to your marriage.

We must pray. John the Baptist prayed, the disciples prayed, Jesus prayed. We don't. So some of us have to enroll at grade school: "Father, I've not been praying. I don't take time to pray. I can't get up and testify to answered prayer because I've never prayed, so Lord, forgive me." It's a sin not to pray. Samuel said, "But God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you." It's a sin not to pray.

Now let's move higher. Grade school: we must pray. Now the high school level: we must pray in God's will. So he said to them, "When you pray," not if you pray, "when you pray, say," and here is what is usually called the Lord's Prayer. Perhaps a better better name is the disciples' prayer. Our Lord could never pray this prayer because He had no sins for which to ask forgiveness. The disciples' prayer.

People write and say, "Is it wrong to pray this prayer in a public meeting?" No, I don't think so. The early church did it. There's evidence that in the earliest days when the church met to worship they used this prayer. It's wrong to recite it like a parrot.

I've been in meetings where people have run through this prayer as though they were going to get a prize for having it done in less than 60 seconds. That's wrong. But I've also been in worship services where we have prayed this as a congregation, and it was very meaningful. Very meaningful.

Now why did our Lord give us this prayer? He gave us this prayer as a model for our praying. I find that I can do something better if I have a model. Someone says, "Now this is the way it ought to be." "Oh yeah, I can see that."

When I was studying in seminary, Dr. Lloyd Perry would say, "Now here is a model of one way to preach," and we'd follow that model. And he said, "Now here's another model of of another way to preach."

Now our Lord gave us this prayer as a model. Nothing wrong with using it as your own prayer. I sometimes take the prayers of Paul and pray them. I know I'm praying in the will of God because they are inspired. Nothing wrong with that.

Now let's notice this model prayer. We must pray in God's will. You see, the purpose of prayer is not to get my will done in heaven; the purpose of prayer is to get God's will done on earth. But God is not obligated to answer my prayer unless I'm praying in His will. 1 John 5 tells us that if we ask anything according to His will... Let's look at this model prayer.

It begins with relationships. "Our Father." Our: that's my relationship to you. Father: that's my relationship to God. The very first two words in this prayer stop me. God is saying, "Wait just a minute, it's not 'My Father.'" There are no singular pronouns in the Lord's Prayer; they're plural. "Our Father," "Give us this day," "Forgive us," "Lead us." It's a family prayer.

You know what that means? That means that if you and I are out of fellowship with each other, we can't pray. Paul writes and says, "Now when the men pray, tell them to lift up holy hands without wrath or doubting." Without wrath: that means without disagreements among you. Jesus said, "When you stand praying, forgive."

Relationships. I cannot pray privately or in the congregation if there's something between me and my wife. Peter says that, 1 Peter 3. He said, "Now, you husbands, you dwell with your wives according to knowledge. Don't be a dumbbell. And you treat them the way they ought to be treated, as a weaker vessel."

Doesn't say they are the weaker vessel; says, "Treat them that way. Treat them like a beautiful porcelain vase. That your prayers be not hindered." And any man that goes to the deacons meeting and leads in prayer, and left his wife at home in tears because of the way he acted, wasted his time praying.

Relationship: "Our Father." Father, I cannot pray unless I can call Him Father. When I got saved, the Holy Spirit came in. First thing I said was, "Abba, Father!" Up till then it was "Lord, Lord, Lord." Now it's "Father." Nothing wrong with "Lord," but when I pray, it's "Father." Relationship. Do I have a right relationship with others? Do I have a right relationship with God? If not, I can't pray.

Now, this prayer moves from relationship to responsibility. "Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That means quickly and joyfully and completely.

Would you notice, please, I haven't told Him one word about my arthritis. I haven't said one word about the budget. I haven't said one word about any of my needs. You know why? The first step in prayer is relationship. The second step is responsibility. Why am I praying? Because I want to glorify God's name, because I want God's kingdom to come, I want God's will to be done on earth. That's what prayer is all about.

Many of us pray like the prodigal son, "Father, give me, give me, give me," and I want to warn you, He may do it. He may give you exactly what you ask for, and you'll regret it. He gave them their request and did what? Sent leanness to their soul. I have lived long enough to be thankful for unanswered prayer.

No, He says here, I have some responsibilities. "Why are you praying?" "Oh, I need this." "No, no, no. Why are you praying? Suppose I gave it to you, would it glorify My name? Would it bring My kingdom closer to fulfillment? Would it accomplish My will on earth, or is it just plain selfish?"

Oh, now I better understand why He gave me this prayer. I can't get to my requests until I examine my responsibilities, and I can't examine my responsibilities until I straighten out my relationships. Prayer is serious business.

Now we get to requests. "Give us this day," or "day by day," "our daily bread": that's praying about today. "And forgive us our sins": that's praying about yesterday. "And do not lead us into temptation": that's praying about tomorrow. So prayer takes care of the present, the past, and the future. And I can take all the requests that I have in my little prayer diary, and I can categorize them according to these categories. "Lord, this is today. Here's what I need today."

I am prone to ask God to store things up for 3 months. "Lord, I got the conference here, and I've got this book to write, and these radio programs to make, and, you know, give me all of this right now." He's not going to do it. That's abnormal. You don't grow that way.

My, you parents would be frightened if you went and looked in the crib and your child had suddenly gained 10 pounds overnight. You can't handle that. So my God takes care of me a day at a time. He's built the whole universe to operate a day at a time.

Some years ago a famous Chinese scholar came to the United States. It may have been Dr. Lin Yutang, but I don't know for sure, so don't quote me. But a famous Chinese scholar. And as you know, our Chinese friends have a tendency, and it's a good tendency, to slow down. We Americans are always in a hurry.

And he was met by another scholar at the train station, and the scholar grabbed his Chinese friend and said, "If we run, we can grab that train and we'll save 3 minutes." And quietly the Chinese guest said, "And what significant thing shall we do with the 3 minutes we are saving?" The answer, of course, would be nothing.

The whole universe operates a day at a time. Everything. We don't. The average American Christian (I can't speak for others) is being crucified between two thieves, the regrets of yesterday and the worries about tomorrow, and as a consequence, they're making everybody miserable today.

So He tells me here, take it to the Lord in prayer. What you need today, He'll give you. If you don't need it, He won't give it to you. He can forgive what you did yesterday. He can lead you tomorrow. Live a day at a time, and pray without ceasing, which simply means keep the receiver off the hook. Always be in fellowship with God so the very desires of your heart are crying out to Him, and He hears that as prayer.

We must pray: grade school. We must pray in God's will: that's high school. But don't stop there. College level: we must pray in God's will as children coming to a father. Prayer is not based on friendship. Prayer is based on sonship. We cry, "Abba, Father." "Our Father." Not "our friend." Father.

You know why prayer is based on sonship and not friendship? I don't know how many real friends I have. I have many acquaintances. I don't know how many real friends I have. I may discover someday. My friends do not have my nature. My children do.

When I was born again, God gave me His nature. So when I come to pray, it's a child coming to a father, saying, "You belong to me, and I belong to you. I wear your name. I bear your nature. Someday, I'm going to live at your address. Take care of me." I'm not obligated to care for the neighbor's children. Sometimes I do, but I'm not obligated. I am obligated to care for my children.

Now, the interesting thing is our Lord gives a parable here. He starts with a parable in Luke 11:5-8, and this parable is not about sonship; it's about friendship. And this parable has so been abused. And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a friend," and the the the language here reads like this: Can any of you imagine this happening? And the answer is no, we can't imagine this happening.

"Which of you shall have a friend and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and he," the friend, "will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you.'"

Now Jesus said, "Can you imagine a situation like that?" And of course the people would say no. Do you know why? In the East, hospitality is the number one law. A stranger shows up in a village, the whole village gets together, has potluck to welcome the stranger. You never turn a stranger away, and you never, never allow them to go hungry.

So our Lord is saying to His congregation, "Can you folks imagine this happening over in Nazareth or down in Beth-?" They say, "No. No, we'd get up and one person would give some bread and one would give some wine and one would give some milk or some cheese, and we'd feed the stranger."

"I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs." Now this word persistence seems to give the idea that if you if you knock long enough and hard enough, you pester God, He'll finally relent and give you what you want. If that's what prayer is, I'm through.

My children never had to beg me for what they needed. And if you're the kind of father or mother who had to be begged to feed your children or clothe your children or protect your children or love your children, you ought to be spanked. Now my Father in heaven is not like that.

This word persistence is an interesting word. It means shamelessness. You know what our Lord is saying? Here's a fellow in bed, half asleep, grouchy. Knock on the door. "Friend, I need some food. We have a guest in the village; I need some food." "Get out of here. I'm in bed. Don't bother me."

Then he starts to think, "Tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow I go down to the marketplace to do business. If I show lack of hospitality to a guest, I have disgraced myself, my family, and my village, and my friends will look at me and spit." So he said, "I'd better get up. I don't want to be ashamed and ruin my reputation." That's what our Lord's talking about.

Now, says Jesus, if a grouchy, selfish friend, in order to protect his reputation, will do this for a friend, how much more will a loving Father, who never goes to sleep, how much more will He do for His children? Do you know why God answers prayer? To guard His reputation. "Hallowed be thy name." And every time God answers prayer, He is saying, "I am a Father who cares for My own." We must pray in God's will as children coming to a Father.

"And I say to you," says Luke 11:9. Now He goes from a parable to a promise, and oh, how we have twisted, maligned this promise. There are people here today who could come to me and say, "Brother Wiersbe, I've claimed Luke 11:9, and it didn't work."

Now, I want to tell you why it didn't work. "And I say to you, ask, and it shall be given to you." Why? Because you're a child of God, not a friend. "Seek, and you shall find. Knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

If a son," not a friend, "asks for bread from a father," not a grouchy neighbor, "among you, will he give him a stone?" No. "Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?" No. "Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?" No. "If then you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children," not friends, children, "how much more, how much more will your Heavenly Father meet the needs of His children?"

Now let's look at this. Ask, seek, knock. Ask: that's my Father's wealth. All of my wealth was available to my children. May not have been a whole lot, but whatever was there was theirs. Ask! But notice He doesn't stop there. He says, "Seek." That's the Father's will. Why does my Father in heaven give me His wealth? That I might do His will. But don't stop there. "Ask, and it shall be given to you. Seek, and it you shall find. Knock!" Now, in the Bible, an open door speaks of service. God opened the door to the Gentiles. God opened the door for Paul.

Ask: that's my Father's wealth. Seek: that's my Father's will. Knock: that's my Father's work. God answers prayer that He might share His wealth with His children who want to do His will and accomplish His work. Isn't that what we prayed about? "Hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done."

Maybe God doesn't want to heal my arthritis. Maybe, like Paul, it does me good to have pain. Maybe God doesn't want to give you a promotion. This is what bothers me about this health, wealth and success crowd. All you have to do is ask and you can be driving the biggest car in town. You can be living in the most palatial mansion. Fine. That may be all you'll get.

I don't know about you, but when I pray, I've got to stop and say, "Father, we're asking for your wealth. But now, what are we going to do with it? We want your will, that we might do your work. Thy will be done on earth." If praying doesn't get me working, it's not praying. And so the college level is we must pray as children coming to a father.

The prodigal son prayed two prayers, Luke 15. Prayer number one: "Father, give me." And the odd thing is the father gave it to him. Did the father know what he'd do? Yes. Sure. The second prayer was not "Father, give me." The boy was broke. The second prayer was "Father, make me." Make me.

Now, if God, my Father, were to give me His blessings without building my character, He would do to me what some people have done to their children and grandchildren: spoiled them rotten. You want to raise a criminal? Give him whatever he wants, and don't worry about his character. You'll raise a criminal. I know a family that has given their children everything they've wanted, and there has been marital problem, divorces, narcotics. They're rich, but they're poor.

Now, says the Lord Jesus, when you pray, pray as a child coming to a father. Don't ever be afraid of answered prayer. He'll never give you the wrong answer. My problem is, I think I'm asking for bread, and I'm asking for a stone. I think I'm asking for an egg, scorpion, and my Father says, "You know, son, if I gave that to you, it'd hurt you. I'm not going to give it to you." Now I look back and say, "Thank you, Father. I'm glad you understood."

We must pray. We must pray in God's will. We must pray in God's will as children coming to a Father. Now we move to the graduate level, found in Luke 11:13. "If then you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children," and we do, "how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those that ask Him?"

Now, the Jews that were listening must have been shocked when He said, "He's going to give you the Holy Spirit," because in the Old Testament only prophets, and priests, and kings, and special soldiers had the power of the Holy Spirit.

Now the parallel passage is Matthew 7:11, practically word for word, but there's one little change that I think is significant. Matthew 7:11: "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?" Well, put the two verses together. How much more will your Father in heaven give the good things of the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?

At this point, I am going to get into trouble, but we will forge ahead courageously. Much of our praying has nothing to do with the good things of the Holy Spirit. Is it wrong to pray about money? No. "Give us this day our daily bread." Is it wrong to pray about health? No. Paul prayed three times that his body might be healed. Is it wrong to pray about circumstances? No. Elijah prayed that it might rain, and it rained. But these are not the highest levels of prayer. That shocks some of you.

Have you ever read the prayers of the Lord Jesus? Try John 17 on for size some evening when the television set is broken. Pick up your Bible and read John 17. "Father, the hour is come." He didn't even pray for strength at that point for His sacrifice. He did later on in the garden. "Glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You." Have you prayed lately, "Oh God, glorify yourself in my sacrifice"?

What did Jesus pray about in John 17? The finishing of His work. Oh, I I hope when when when the day comes for me to face God, I'll be able to say, "I have finished the work You gave me to do." Some of you don't even know what your work is. Vance Havner stood in the pulpit at Moody Church one day and looked out at that congregation, and he said, "Some of you saints are singing your way into sanctified senility." Now, he said that; I didn't.

John 17: "I pray that they might be one." When was the last time you prayed for the unity of the church? You pastors, do you ever pray publicly in your pulpit for any other church and pastor in town? Oh, wouldn't dare. Jesus did. He prayed for the sanctity of the church. He prayed for world evangelism: "I pray that the world might believe." We don't pray like that.

Or take Paul's prison prayers. My soul has been blessed and stirred by Paul's prison prayers. Ephesians 1, this is the way he prayed, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him." You ever pray for that? "Oh, Holy Spirit of God, teach me the Word."

Most of the saints of God in the American church are leaners instead of gleaners. They're leaning on authors. They're leaning on preachers. And they're not leaning on the Lord. You ever pray for the Holy Spirit to teach you the Word of God?

We have a cultic attitude today where someone says, "Oh, I listen to so-and-so. I don't like him. I listen to this one. I'm for Paul. I'm for Apollos. I'm for Cephas. I'm for Wiersbe. I'm for DeBrine." It's cultic, and it's carnal. "I pray that the eyes of your understanding might be enlightened. I pray that you might know the exceeding greatness of his power." This is the blessing of the Holy Spirit.

How about that beautiful prayer in Philippians 1? Verse 9: "This I pray, that your love may abound." You ever pray for abounding love? And more and more in all knowledge and discernment."

Christian love is not blind. It has discernment. "Lord, help me to approve the things that are excellent. Help me to be sincere. Help me to be filled with the fruits of righteousness." You ever take Paul's prayers and pray for the good things of the Holy Spirit, the building of Christian character?

Brothers and sisters, the purpose of life, and here I quote Phillips Brooks, "purpose of life is the building of character through truth to the glory of God." "Oh, no. The purpose of life is to win souls." You haven't got any character, you won't win any souls. "The purpose of life is to get the gospel out." That's right, from vessels that are that are right. The building of character. And when we leave character out of ministry, we end up with hypocrisy. If I am not a better husband and father and grandfather for having spent time in prayer, I'm fooling myself.

So, the graduate level of prayer is we must pray in God's will as children coming to a father, asking for the best blessings of the Holy Spirit. Now, it's unfortunate that the some parts of our church family have so emphasized the "great things," according to them, they've ignored the other things. We hear so much about the gifts of the Spirit, we've forgotten about the graces of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith, self-control.

I was in a meeting in England, and while we were having a blessed time worshiping the Lord, a sanctified show-off got up and began to parade around the auditorium, apparently trying to worship God. It was so distracting. And I thought to myself, I always thought the Holy Spirit gave us self-control.

Now if I sound critical, it's because I love the church. I've given my life to the ministry of the church. Though I am with a so-called parachurch organization, a term I do not like, I'm a church person. Basically I'm a pastor at heart. Look at the prayer list at the average church prayer meeting, and look for the best things of the Holy Spirit. They're not always there. Nothing wrong with praying about sickness and surgery; I have done it, and I've been in it. Nothing wrong with praying about budgets. But if that's all we pray about, we're turning prayer into "Father, give me" instead of "Father, make me."

We must pray. "Men ought always to pray and not to faint." Why are Christians fainting today? They aren't praying. We must pray. We must pray in God's will. That means I better know God's Word. We must pray in God's will as children coming to a father, not as friends beating down a door. Your Father in heaven is more anxious to answer prayer than you are to pray. "Oh, what peace we often forfeit. Oh, what needless pain we bear." Why? "All because we do not carry" what? "Everything to God in prayer."

We must pray in God's will as children coming to a father, asking Him, not just for things, asking Him for the best blessings of the Holy Spirit, that we might grow in grace and become more like our Lord Jesus Christ. I may be wrong, but this seems to say to me that the most important school I can enroll in is the school of prayer. "Lord, teach us to pray."

Our Father, we confess we have to pray about our praying. Some do not pray. Some pray only in emergencies. Some pray because it's a ritual. Some pray out of fear. Oh, how few times, Lord, do we pray because we are your children, as it were cuddling close to your heart and saying, "Abba, Father."

Sometimes, oh Lord, our deepest prayer is a groan that cannot be uttered, ignited by the Holy Spirit of God. And so, Father, forgive us our careless praying, our selfish praying. Forgive us that we've neglected prayer. Forgive us, oh God, that we take credit for things you have done. Forgive us, oh Lord, that we've lost the beauty of holiness because we've ignored worship.

And grant to us that we shall grow in our life of prayer. Whatever else the church may be known for today, Father, your people are not known for their praying. We're known for our buildings; we're known for so many material things. We're just not known for our praying.

Help us to glorify your name through prayer. Help us to get your will done on earth through prayer. Help us to grow like the Lord Jesus Christ through prayer. Lord, teach us to pray. We ask in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.