Welcome to Day 2929 of Wisdom-Trek. Thank you for joining me.
This is Guthrie Chamberlain, Your Guide to Wisdom.
Day 2929– “Lord, Teach Us to Pray” – Luke 11:1-13
Putnam Church Message – 08/09/2026
The Good News According to Luke: “Lord, Teach Us To Pray.”
Last week, our message was “Exchanging What’s Good for What’s Best,” and we learned that when good things begin to crowd out the best thing, have the courage to exchange what is good for what is best.
Today, we continue with our thirty-third message from Luke’s narrative of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Today’s message is: “Lord, Teach Us To Pray.” Our core passage today is Luke 11:1-13, on page 1614 of your pew Bibles.
Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer
1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“‘Father,[a]
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.[b]
3 Give us each day our daily bread.
4 Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.[c]
And lead us not into temptation.[d]’”
5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity[e] he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.
9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[f] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Opening Prayer
Father, we come before You today as children who need to learn. We confess that we often pray last instead of first. We try to assemble life by our own wisdom, strength, and effort, and only when we have made a mess do we turn to You.
Lord Jesus, teach us to pray. Teach us not only the words of prayer, but the heart of prayer. Teach us to come to the Father with reverence, trust, humility, boldness, and surrender. Holy Spirit, open our hearts to receive Your Word, and make prayer not a last resort, but the daily breath of our souls.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Introduction: When All Else Fails, Read the Instructions
There is an old saying many of us know well: “When all else fails, read the instructions.”
Some of us live by that saying a little too confidently. We look at a box marked “Some Assembly Required,” and instead of beginning with the instruction sheet, we dump the parts on the floor, glance at the picture on the box, and say, “I can figure this out.”
And sometimes we can. / But every now and then, we get humbled.
Imagine Christmas Eve. The children are asleep. A hidden box is dragged from the closet. The parts are laid out with great confidence. Screws, bolts, panels, wheels, rods, brackets — all carefully arranged. The project begins smoothly. But somewhere around midnight, the finished product starts looking less like the picture on the box and more like an abstract sculpture.
Finally, with dawn approaching, the builder digs the instructions out of the trash. At the top of the page, in small print, some sarcastic soul has written, “Now that you have made a mess of things, please start over and follow these instructions.”
That is funny because it is true.
And it is often how we approach prayer.
We say, “When all else fails, pray.”
But Jesus did not live that way.
Jesus did not pray only when He was desperate. / He prayed before major decisions. / He prayed after ministry. / He prayed in solitude. / He prayed with others. / He prayed when crowds pressed in. / He prayed in joy. / He prayed in anguish. / He prayed before the cross.
Luke has emphasized this repeatedly. / Jesus withdrew to lonely places to pray. / He prayed before choosing the Twelve. / He prayed on the mountain before the Transfiguration. / He prayed as His mission moved toward Jerusalem. / Prayer was not a spare tire in Jesus’ life. / Prayer was the steering wheel.
Last week, in “Exchanging What’s Good for What’s Best,” we saw Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet while Martha was worried and upset about many things. Mary chose the one necessary thing — listening to Jesus. Now, in Luke 11, the disciples watch Jesus pray, and they realize they need instruction.
They do not say, “Lord, teach us to preach.”
They do not say, “Lord, teach us to heal.”
They do not say, “Lord, teach us to cast out demons.”
They say, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
That request is still one of the most important requests any disciple can make. Let’s explore four truths that will help us to understand why this one question is so important. These are found on your bulletin insert on the side that is titled: Lord, Teach us to Pray.
Main Point 1: Prayer Begins With Relationship and Reverence
Jesus begins the model prayer with one word: “Father.” / That is astonishing.
Jesus does not begin with “Distant Creator,” though God is Creator.
He does not begin with “Almighty King,” though God is King.
He does not begin with “Sovereign Master,” though God is Lord.
He teaches His disciples to begin with “Father.”
In Greek, the word is pater. In Aramaic, Jesus used the intimate word Abba, which we see in Mark 14 when He prays in Gethsemane. Paul later says in Romans 8 and Galatians 4 that by the Spirit, believers cry, “Abba, Father.”
This means prayer begins not with technique, but with relationship.
We do not come to God as strangers trying to get the attention of a reluctant deity. We come as children to a Father who already knows us, loves us, and welcomes us.
But Jesus also teaches reverence. “May your name be kept holy.” (Hallowed be your name.)
God is Father, but He is not casual. / He is near, but not common. / He is loving, but not tame. / His name is holy.
In ancient Israel, God’s name represented His character, reputation, presence, and covenant faithfulness. To ask that God’s name be hallowed is to say, “Father, make Your holiness known — in me, through me, around me, and throughout the world.”
So Christian prayer holds together two truths we often separate.
God is close enough to call Father.
God is holy enough to worship with awe.
Ancient Context
First-century Jews prayed regularly. They knew the Psalms. They attended synagogue. Many memorized prayers. Religious groups often had distinctive prayers that expressed their identity. John the Baptizer apparently taught his disciples to pray, and now Jesus’ disciples ask for the same.
But Jesus does more than give them a group prayer. He invites them into His own relationship with the Father.
That is grace.
The Son teaches us to speak to His Father as our Father.
Object Lesson: A Family Name
Hold up or describe a family name written on a piece of paper.
A family name carries identity. It tells where you belong. But it also carries responsibility. When a child bears a family name, how they live reflects on that name.
When we pray, “Father, may Your name be kept holy,” we are saying, “Let my life honor the family name. Let the world see Your goodness, truth, mercy, and holiness through Your children.”
Modern Illustration
A child may run into the house and call, “Dad!” or “Mom!” with complete confidence. That child does not usually schedule an appointment. The relationship gives access.
But a loving child also honors the parent. Love does not cancel respect.
Prayer begins there: confidence and reverence.
The first lesson is this: We pray as beloved children to a holy Father.
Main Point 2: Prayer Aligns Our Hearts With God’s Kingdom
After teaching us to honor the Father’s name, Jesus says, “May your Kingdom come soon.”
That request is not small.
Jesus has been preaching the Kingdom from the beginning of His ministry. The Kingdom came near when He healed the sick, forgave sinners, cast out demons, fed the hungry, raised the dead, and announced good news to the poor. In Luke 9, He set His face toward Jerusalem. In Luke 10, He sent the seventy to announce that the Kingdom had come near. Now He teaches His disciples to pray for that Kingdom to come fully.
To pray “Your Kingdom come” is to say, “Father, rule here. Rule in me. Rule in my home. Rule in my church. Rule in this broken world. Bring Your justice, mercy, holiness, peace, and restoration.”
It is not a request for God to bless our plans. It is a surrender of our plans to God’s rule.
That is where prayer often confronts us.
We sometimes come to prayer with our agenda already written. / We bring God our list and ask Him to sign it. / But Jesus teaches us to begin with God’s name and God’s Kingdom before we ask for our bread.
That does not mean our needs do not matter. They do. Jesus will teach us to ask for daily bread. But He first reorders our hearts.
Ancient Israelite Perspective
Israel had long prayed for God’s reign to be revealed. / The prophets looked forward to the day when God would restore His people, defeat evil, gather the nations, and bring peace. / Isaiah spoke of a coming King. / Daniel saw the Son of Man receiving dominion. / The Psalms declared that the Lord reigns.
When Jesus teaches “Your Kingdom come,” He is placing His disciples inside that long story of hope.
They are not merely praying for private comfort. They are praying for creation to be set right under the reign of God.
Object Lesson: The Compass
Hold up or describe a compass.
A compass does not remove the mountains, rivers, or valleys. But it points you in the right direction.
Prayer is like that. It does not always remove the difficulty immediately. But it reorients us. It turns us toward God’s true north.
When we pray “Your Kingdom come,” we are allowing God to correct our direction, to be our compass.
Modern Illustration
Many of us pray in crisis, “Lord, get me out of this.” That is understandable. But Kingdom prayer also asks, “Lord, what are You doing in this? How can I honor You here? How can Your will be done in this relationship, this illness, this financial pressure, this grief, this decision?”
Prayer does not bend God’s will to ours. Prayer bends our will toward His.
The second lesson is this: Prayer is not mainly about getting God onto our agenda; it is about bringing our hearts and our agenda under His Kingdom.
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