Pam Padgett ... teacher
A disciple asked Jesus to teach them how to pray ...
Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a
certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord,
teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto
them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be
thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 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.
Jesus taught us to pray not just for physical
needs, such as our daily food, but also for spiritual things, including
that the will of God be done,
that our sins be forgiven as we forgive others, that we not be led into
temptation, and that
we be delivered from evil.
Although we are flesh and have physical needs, our spiritual well being is of great importance.
And Jesus gave the following parable in which we see persistence in asking, and He told us that God will hear and answer our prayers ...
Luke 11:5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and
shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three
loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have
nothing to set before him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say,
Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in
bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not
rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his
importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and
ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one
that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that
knocketh it shall be opened.
Jesus also explained that even more than a human father knows how to give good things to his son who asks, God will do for us when we ask Him ...
Matthew 7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
But we are not to pray according to fleshly lusts, lusts of this world. James gave the following warning ...
James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they
not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and
have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and
war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
For those who walk uprightly, however, no good thing will be withheld ...
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.