Take a deep breath. Breathing has been one of the most common pictures of prayer throughout Christian history. Jonathan Edwards said, “Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life.” Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.”
To breathe is the most basic expression of what it means to be alive. Breathing is the way that we receive our very life. In the same way, prayer is the breath of Christian life; it is how we receive all things from God.
Most of us know why we must pray. Many of us don’t know what or how to pray. However, the follower of Jesus is not without hope. His first followers asked him, “Teach us to pray!” and we have record of how Jesus taught them.
Jesus’ answer to the disciples question is the first stop for the Christian who wants to grow in prayer. Jesus invites us into a deeper life with God by practicing the way of prayer that He teaches.
Why should we dedicate ourselves to praying this prayer that Jesus gave us? Because, in the simplest terms, prayer is a conversation with God. To have a conversational relationship with our Father, God, is at the heart of what it means to be his child. And if prayer is a conversation with God, there is no better way to learn to talk to God than from God Himself.
As we learn to pray this way, our priorities will begin to align with His. The Scriptures say that God gives us whatever we ask for when it’s within His will. What better way to guarantee we’re praying into the will of God than to pray the way Jesus taught us to pray?
The prayer that Jesus gave his followers is all encompassing: it guides us in asking for the littles things in life, as well as the greatest thing of all, which is God Himself. By praying the way Jesus taught us to pray, we will be stirred by the Spirit into deep moments of intimate communion with God. Just like Jesus was.
Resources
We are focusing on prayer in a variety of ways this month, with options for everyone. Tap the button below to learn about opportunities to pray in January.
We’ve prepared two guides to help us make the most of this month, First, there’s a guide for the month of prayer that helps us think more deeply about the prayer Jesus taught us and begin praying that way. Second, we’ve put together a guide for the week of fasting that offers a brief description of this discipline and a few tips and ideas for engaging in it.