“Lord, Teach Us to Pray!”

Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute and host of the Bible Answer Man broadcast, reflects on prayer, as we celebrate the National Day of Prayer. St. Peter outright asked the Master of the universe, “Lord, teach us now to pray!” And that is precisely what the Lord Jesus did (see Luke 11:1-11). While the Prayer of Jesus must never be regarded as a prayer mantra, it is a prayer manner, beginning with the glorious privilege of addressing the Creator of the universe as “Father.” The prayer is a means by which we may step out of the shallow tide pool of our hearts and plunge into an unbounded ocean of uncreated energy. A means by which we may transcend surface things and experience union with God. The Prayer of Jesus provides the doorway into an ever-deepening experience with the divine. Genuine prayer is not found in our noisy askings and gettings; it is experiencing intimacy with the Lover of our souls. Submersion into the divine nature. And our precious Lord provided the archetypal entreaty for doing that very thing. For further study, see the “The National Day of Prayer,” https://www.equip.org/national-day-of-prayer-from-hank/, the video, “3 Secrets to a Rewarding Prayer Life,” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xktX_qi1mBI), and the book, The Prayer of Jesus, https://www.equip.org/product/cri-resources-prayer-of-jesus-softcover-book-journal-and-dvd/.