Wednesday, June 10, 2009

"Lord, Teach Us to Pray"

In Luke 11, the disciples make a request, "Lord, teach us to pray."
Think about this--the disciples have been Jesus for a while now. They have seen him heal, teach, drive out demons, raise the dead, calm storms, and they have witnessed him taking part in night-long prayer vigils. These disciples were Jews, which meant that they had been taught spiritual disciplines since their youth. They knew about prayer. Yet, here they are making a request to learn one of the basic principles of faith.
Jesus uses this as a teachable moment. He gives them a new way to pray.

If we ever cease to make this request, our spirituality will plateau...it will become stagnant. We never graduate to the level of, "Lord, I've learned how to pray."

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Truitt is at a praying stage. We are trying to pray with him throughout the day--not just before meals and bedtime. We don't want him to equate prayer as the warm-up exercise for chicken strips or as the official sign that it is bedtime. The former can easily become a prayer with little meaning and the latter can become a miserable prayer because it means that fun is over. (Don't misunderstand me--prayers before meals and bedtime can be formative).

This morning, Truitt woke up at 8:30 and we brought him into our bed to play for a few minutes. Before we got up to eat breakfast, I said, "Truitt, let's pray over mommy." Together, we placed our left hands on Kayci's belly and our right hands on Kayci's head and together we prayed a prayer for God's blessing and mercy upon our new son and Truitt's new brother. We prayed for God's hand to upon them both. It was a priceless moment!

5 comments:

  1. What a beautiful moment and powerful story! Thank you for sharing. May we never stop asking God to teach us to pray...

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  2. that is so beautiful. i love learning about the ways the two of you are raising Truitt in God's hands.

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  3. I'm sure Truitt will remember that experience all his life. What a great teaching opportunity! - Karen S.

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  4. Two years old! I've heard him preach, lead singing (both in our den). I've heard him pray. And I've seen him play the drums (YES!) and rap. This kid is DEFINITELY going to be used by God.

    Actually, I am SO proud of the guidance he is receiving from his parents. Can't wait to see you all next week!

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  5. Um, Josh, that made me cry!! I'm sure Kayci was trying SO hard to keep her emotions in check. I hope to teach my children the call and privilege it is to pray at every moment and for every situation in our lives. You've hit a major, major passion of mine. There's nothing like sitting in the Presence of God interceding, listening, and communing with the King. I'm always SO energized, focused, and sharpened by my time with my Savior, Friend, and Creator. I'ts just the best thing.

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