Lesson 8: Prayer 91
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus withdrew and prayed privately as part
of a cultivation of his relationship with God (Luke 5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 9:28,
and 22:44–46). Jesus prayed during crises and at key decision points in
his life (Luke 3:21, 6:12–16, 22:40–46 and 23:46). Jesus publically taught
and prayed in the presence of others, modeling a spiritual discipline to
be practiced not only privately but corporately as well (Luke 3:21, 6:28,
9:28–29, 11:1–4, 18:1–11). To be a follower of Jesus is to nurture prayer
in personal and daily consistency, in the midst of difficult and heated
situations, and in corporate gatherings in order to enhance the clarity of
the voice of God.
A Habit of Prayer is God-centered, Kingdom-focused
and Consciously-corporate (Luke 11:2–4)
11:2. Verses 2–4 parallel the better-known passage in Matthew 6:9–13.
Perhaps Luke 11 was a similar teaching that occurred on a separate
occasion. Regardless, verse 2 emphasized prayer firmly grounded in
God-centeredness. This model prayer unmistakably opens with the sub-
mission of the petitioner to the Father and the holiness of his name.
“Hallowed” is the Greek word hagiazō meaning to “make holy.”
Prior to submitting any requests, the petitioner(s) must first submit
themselves, their agenda, their desires, and their hoped-for outcomes
to the holiness and supremacy of God. Prayer (that is more than simply
speech) is less about seeking to attune God to the plans and will of the
petitioner(s), but is more fundamentally about an ongoing submission
that allows the petitioner to be adjusted to God. Prayer begins with an
adjustment rooted in a relationship. It is difficult to encounter God in
authentic prayer when attitudes and actions are actively straining against
the relationship. Prayer is thus a familial exercise of an ongoing relation-
ship grounded in grace.
Prayer is also kingdom-focused. The call of verse 2 is for a reori-
entation around the certainty of the kingdom of God. Believers are
challenged to consider the kingdom of God, a reality characterized by
salvation and justice, and to orient their prayer lives in such a way that
they labor to implement the fullness of that kingdom, imperfect though
the effort may be, in the world as it exists today.