It must have been incredible to have heard Jesus pray. One can only imagine the passion and conviction that poured forth from Him as He approached the Father’s throne. Obviously, His prayers were moving and motivating to those who heard them because one of His disciples was prompted to request, “Lord, teach us to pray…” (Luke 11:1). Jesus responded to the request by issuing the model prayer (Luke 11:2-4). As we consider that prayer, and other passages on prayer throughout the Bible, we find several items for which we should pray.
- Forgiveness – “And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:4).
- Our enemies – “But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you” (Matt. 5:44).
- Our daily bread – “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matt. 6:11).
- Laborers – “Then saith he unto his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38).
- Rulers – “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Tim. 2:1-2).
- Mercy – “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16).
- Deliverance – “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13).
Adding these items to the list of things which regularly hold our attention in prayer will help us to pray more like our Savior.