For this course, we take as our theme the example of Jesus in prayer. There is no better way to learn prayer than to watch and to imitate the Lord Himself. There is no better teaching on prayer than His teaching. In a very true sense, Jesus is the “one Teacher” and “one Shepherd” we follow (Matthew 23:8,10; John 10:4,8,16).
The human and divine combine to make Jesus the most qualified to teach prayer.
The disciple of Luke 11 knows where to go to learn prayer. He probably does not know, at that time, just how supremely qualified Jesus is to teach prayer. John the Baptizer also taught about prayer (Luke 11:1). Yet he said that Jesus held a far higher rank than himself “because He was before me” (John 1:30). John was not referring to earthly age, for John was six months older than Jesus. Through inspiration John was referring to Jesus’ preexistence as God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1 cf. John 1:14).
Previous to being born in the flesh, Jesus eternally enjoyed His position in the Godhead. What does that imply about Jesus’ qualification to teach about prayer? Jesus, as God, has witnessed every prayer ever prayed. Through the centuries, He enjoyed prayers from believers like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Ruth, David and, yes, even Anna just before His arrival on earth. His own divine heart had suffered with Job, Hannah, Naomi and Jeremiah. Then too, Jesus, as God, had recoiled from the stench of so-called prayers mouthed by the hypocrites, the selfish, and the foolish. Their prayers are “an abomination”—hated by God (Proverbs 28:9).
Since Jesus “was with God, and… was God,” He is fully qualified to teach us about prayer. Peter prayed, “You, Lord… know the hearts of all” (Acts 1:24). As the One who reads every heart and hears every prayer, Jesus knows how to train our hearts in prayer. John the Baptizer pointed to Jesus’ unique position for teaching us, when he said,
He who comes from heaven is above all…. He bears witness to what He has seen and heard (John 3:31-32).
Jesus tells us about what He Himself experienced in heaven. Knowing where He came from, we pay special attention to His life as a human living among us— described in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. We see Jesus’ complete dependence on the Father in heaven. We watch Him apply on earth the principles of prayer that He knows so well from heaven’s perspective. We find Him matching what He teaches with what He does. We recognize Him as the supreme practitioner of prayer. He understands prayer completely from both sides, first from God’s side, then from man’s side. The divine and the human combine in Jesus to make Him the most qualified to teach prayer. So we fully agree with, and share in, the disciple’s heart-felt plea, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Thinking about your own prayer life, what would you like to gain from this Bible course? That is, what need would you like the course to meet? In what aspects of prayer would you like to grow?