GOSPEL OF LUKE

After some time with Jesus his disciples come to Jesus with a question. They have witnessed his teachings, his miracles of healing and deliverance, they have seen the way he responds to aggression and rejection, and they have seen his rhythm of escaping to the wilderness in prayer. They see Jesus, they see his dependence on the God he refers to as his Father, and they see how things happen when he prays. So one day as Jesus is praying in a certain place, they come to Jesus with a request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” The nature of prayer and conversing with the God of the universe is an essential human longing, even for those who don’t believe in the one they are praying to, and so we come to Jesus with the same request. Teach us to pray.