Luke 11:1-4 ESV Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.”
Prayer is the essence of the Christian life; it is the source of the spiritual life, in which the power of God is released into the life of the believer to do great and mighty exploits. It is through prayer that the sick are healed, and the dead are brought to life. It is through prayer that justice is brought to pass. It is through prayer that yokes are broken, and captives are set free, and it is through this same prayer that our heart of stone is exchanged with a heart of flesh so that we can serve God in spirit and truth.
Prayer is the highest act of humility as it is simply saying Lord, I seek you earnestly as I know I can do nothing without you. Lord, unless you do this, nothing will change. Spiritually weak and empty people are people of prayer, they persevere in prayer as they have no other hope or solution but to wait on the Lord. As Christians God has given us a mighty tool which we can use to bring about God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven, yet the life of prayer is a work that the believer must fight for to obtain. Prayer is not just merely the opening of one’s mouth in a petition to God. Prayer isn’t a careless act, but it is like a child communes with his father, hands stretched out and heart lifted. Prayer is a sacred art of communing with God until we are no longer until our countenance is changed by the refining fire of the Holy Spirit. To pray correctly, one has to have everything in their lives aligned with the action of prayer. We can’t fight, steal and kill in the daytime and expect our time of night prayer to be fruitful. Our prayer has to first and foremost change us. Change our hearts, our thinking and our attitudes. With our praying, we must add much watchfulness so that when we collect the harvest of our prayers, we don’t lose them through carelessness and negligence.
Lord, we come to you today as your disciples of old, and we ask you to teach us how to pray. Teach us how to seek your face and deliver us from apathy and prayerlessness. Lord, we pray that you will baptise us afresh with the power of the Holy Spirit. That you will give us the spirit of prayer and supplication and that you heavenly father will breathe your breath of life in and through us that we may pray without ceasing and seek you earnestly in Jesus mighty name.
Much Love in Christ,
Your Sister,
Ruth 
Pursuing Holiness
Biblical Counsellor | Spiritual Director | Leadership Coach
