It should surprise no one that the disciples were overwhelmed by the prayer life they saw modeled through the life of Jesus. What we see in the pages of the gospel is surely more like the tip of the iceberg. The disciples found him gone in the morning before the sun came so that He could pray. They knew it spent large chunks of time with the Father in heaven. They heard His prayers. They were embarrassed with themselves by sleeping when told to pray for their own good. Steeped in a religious tradition that placed a high value on prayer, they no doubt felt like novices.
It is no wonder there came that moment when they said to Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples." (Luke 11:1) Some of them had been disciples of John before coming to Jesus and they knew what they had learned, though good, was not enough. There was still more to learn. It is a place that most of us have come in our own spiritual journey. Like many others, I have prayed much. Perhaps, not nearly enough, but it has always been a part of my spiritual lifestyle. And like many, I have read more than my share of books on prayers and have learned much from them.
However, it does not take much to realize I am a long way from graduation. Today while reading there was a brief word about prayer which caused me to painfully realize that I have such a long way to go. I keep coming to those moments of feeling that my prayer life needs a personal revival. My prayers today seem to be too much like the ones offered yesterday and last week. It is so easy to let the routine part of my prayer life become like a wagon which only goes forward in the ruts made from yesterday. There are moments when I just feel a need to cry out toward heaven, "Lord, forgive me and, please, keep teaching me to pray. Amen."
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