Lord, Teach Us
Scripture selection: Luke 11:1
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.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’
It’s such a lovely request. “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Have you ever thought about what questions you would like to ask the Lord? Would you, given the chance, ask him about
- How the universe came to be
- Why there is so much suffering in the world
- What you are meant to do with your life
- Where you perfect “soul mate” can be found?
- What the future holds?
- What the past means?
- Or a thousand other questions?
One of Jesus’ disciples, given the chance, made a simple, powerful request: “Lord, teach us to pray.”
So Jesus did – and the result has comforted people for thousands of years – is repeated over and over again every single day around the world.
The Lord’s Prayer perfectly points us to how to honor God, ask for our “daily” bread, guides us into a life of forgiveness and love, and helps protect us from temptation.
It is a model prayer and while there are as many ways to pray as there are different people in the world – it leads us simply and profoundly to a daily walk with God.
What would you ask the Lord if given the chance?
I suggest you begin the conversation with a simple word of prayer that begins: “Our Father….”
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By Paul Simrell
The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program.
Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton
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