00:00You know, there is something deeply human about the moment when the disciples asked Jesus,
00:06Lord, teach us to pray.
00:10They had been walking with him.
00:12They had heard him teach.
00:14They had watched him heal people.
00:16They had seen crowds gather around him.
00:19But somewhere along the way, they noticed something about Jesus that they wanted for themselves.
00:28They saw the way he prayed.
00:31They saw him step away from all the noise.
00:34They saw him make room for the Father.
00:37They saw that prayer was not something Jesus did only when life became difficult.
00:43Prayer was where he lived.
00:46Think about that.
00:48Prayer was where he lived.
00:52And eventually, one of them said, teach us.
00:56And I think many of us are still saying that today.
01:00Lord, teach us to pray.
01:03Because sometimes we do not know what to say.
01:07Teach us to pray.
01:10Because sometimes we are tired of repeating the same words.
01:16Teach us to pray.
01:18Because sometimes prayer feels powerful.
01:23And other times it feels like we're speaking into an empty room.
01:29Teach us to pray.
01:32Because we are not always sure whether we are seeking your will or merely asking you to approve ours.
01:40And maybe Jesus did not need to begin with a formal lesson.
01:46Because the disciples first needed to see prayer lived.
01:51They needed to see that prayer was not about sounding religious.
01:55It was not about finding the perfect words.
01:59It was not about performing for other people.
02:05And it was not a way to pressure God into giving them what they wanted.
02:11Before Jesus gave them words, he gave them an example.
02:17Now that matters.
02:19Because many of us learned how to say prayers before we learned how to be honest with God.
02:25We learned when to bow our heads.
02:28We learned familiar phrases.
02:30We learned how prayers are supposed to begin and end.
02:35But sometimes we still do not know how to bring God what is actually happening inside us.
02:42We know how to say God is good, even when we're angry.
02:48We know how to say your will be done, while quietly hoping he will do exactly what we want.
02:57We know how to ask for help.
03:01But we are not always willing to be changed.
03:06Jesus taught his disciples to begin with our Father.
03:12Not distant God, not reluctant God, not God who must be impressed.
03:19Father.
03:21That does not mean God is casual or small.
03:24Jesus immediately honored his name as holy.
03:29But he wanted his followers to understand that prayer begins in relationship.
03:36You are not approaching someone who does not care about you.
03:40You are not trying to convince God to notice you.
03:45You are coming to your Father.
03:49Some of our prayers today reflect that beautifully.
03:52We pray when someone we love is sick.
03:56We pray when a child is struggling.
04:00We pray when the bills are piling up and we do not know what to do.
04:05We pray when grief enters our home.
04:08We pray when we're thankful and there are no words big enough to explain it.
04:16God is not offended by your needs.
04:20Jesus taught us to ask for daily bread.
04:23He taught us to bring the ordinary parts of life before the Father.
04:29But prayer, well, prayer can become something different if we're not careful.
04:34Sometimes prayer becomes a list of instructions for God.
04:40Fix this.
04:41Change them.
04:43Open this door.
04:44Close that one.
04:46Give me this answer.
04:47Remove this problem.
04:50And there's nothing wrong with asking.
04:52Because Jesus, Jesus told us to ask.
04:57But prayer was never meant to be the only place where we ask God to change everything around us.
05:04It is also where we allow Him to change something within us.
05:10That's harder.
05:11And it's easier to ask God to change another person than it is to ask Him to show us where
05:18we have been wrong.
05:19It's easier to pray for a new opportunity than to ask whether we have been faithful with the one we
05:26already have.
05:28It's easier to ask God to remove the pressure than it is to ask what the pressure may be revealing.
05:36It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to forgive.
05:42The prayer Jesus taught reaches directly into those places.
05:47Your kingdom come.
05:50That means my little kingdom cannot remain in control.
05:54Your will be done.
05:57That means I may not always receive the answer I hoped for.
06:01Forgive us.
06:03That means I have something to confess.
06:07As we forgive.
06:09That means prayer may lead me toward mercy when I would rather hold on to resentment.
06:16Lead us not into temptation.
06:20That means I must admit I am not as strong as I sometimes pretend to be.
06:27This, my friends, is not a prayer for people who have everything together.
06:33It's a prayer for people who know they need the Father.
06:37And that may be the greatest lesson Jesus gave us.
06:42Jesus did not pray because he was trying to appear spiritual.
06:46He prayed because he loved the Father.
06:50He did not pray because he lacked strength.
06:53Prayer was part of his strength.
06:57He did not pray only when he wanted something.
07:00He prayed because communion with the Father was central to who he was.
07:06Jesus, Jesus showed us that prayer is not simply an activity that we add to our day.
07:13Prayer is where we stop pretending we are self-sufficient.
07:18It is where we tell the truth.
07:21It is where we surrender the outcome.
07:23It is where we receive mercy and are reminded to give it.
07:28It is where we remember that God is good.
07:32And we are deliberately loved.
07:37Maybe today you don't need to pray better.
07:42Maybe simply you just need an honest prayer.
07:46Father, I am tired.
07:49Father, I am scared.
07:50Father, I do not understand.
07:54Father, I want my way, but I want to learn to trust yours.
08:01Father, show me what needs to change in me.
08:06Father, help me forgive.
08:08Father, stay close.
08:11That is prayer too.
08:14You see, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray
08:18because they saw something real in him.
08:22And he is still teaching us today.
08:25Not how to sound impressive.
08:28Not how to control God.
08:31Not how to guarantee the outcome we want.
08:34He is teaching us how to come home to the Father.
08:41How about we pray together before we end this video.
08:45What do you say?
08:47Our Father, who art in heaven,
08:51hallowed be thy name.
08:53Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
08:56on earth as it is in heaven.
08:58Give us this day our daily bread,
09:01and forgive us our trespasses,
09:04as we forgive those who trespass against us.
09:08And lead us not into temptation,
09:11but deliver us from evil.
09:14For thine is the kingdom,
09:16the power, and the glory,
09:19forever and ever.
09:21Amen.
09:23My name is Douglas Vandegraaff,
09:25and I believe in Jesus Christ.
09:29May God bless every single one of you.
09:34Every single one.
09:37Bye-bye.
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