Jesus Teaches Prayer

Luke 11:1 (ESV)
Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
Prayer, it is what Jesus does. His disciples are jealous. They don’t know how to pray, but John the Baptist had taught his disciples to pray. They ask Jesus to teach them. Sometimes I wonder what they thought Jesus was going to tell them. He ends up just telling them the Lord’s prayer. Too simple, no one is ever satisfied with it. Need more. We keep adding to it. Yeah, I catch myself playing the pagan all the time, thinking perhaps my prayer will be heard for its many words.
Then again, one might say I’m just following Christ’s example. Jesus’ high priestly prayer is one long and involved prayer, all capped with “thy will be done.” Jesus still ends up on the cross. His disciples still end up scattered to the wind. And yet, God’s will is done. I’ll get into that more later.
Jesus prayed. He was known for this. His disciples? The don’t seem to be so open to it until after God accomplishes his will on the cross. But Jesus is always praying. Constantly. He removes himself, goes to the hills and prays all night.
If one wonders why, the best thing they can do is start. You will soon find out why Jesus found it so integral. It doesn’t prevent bad things from happening to you. It doesn’t give you more money. It doesn’t make you holier or more sanctified. But it does work, and in my own life, I have found it brings me a peace that far surpasses understanding. It does bring understanding. And if you don’t know how, realize, Jesus still teaches.