"Teach Us To Pray" Paul Washer

Teach Us To Pray

Paul Washer

 

    "It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.’” I want you to notice some things that are very, very important here. I believe with all my heart it was a fearful thing to watch Jesus pray, that it was an awesome event, higher than any other thing he did, because ...if you notice here it says, “It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished...” No one dared touch that ark. When he was bowed on his knees, when he was calling out to this Father it was like no other thing anyone had ever seen on the face of the earth.
And then he goes on and it says, “One of his disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Now I find this a most amazing statement and I find it a statement that is very, very overlooked among those who study this text. If you will notice something very, very important, a disciple never came to Jesus and said, “Teach us to preach.” A disciple never came to Jesus and said, “Teach us to walk on water.” A disciple never came to Jesus and said, “Teach us to raise the dead.” A disciple never came to Jesus and said, “Teach us to cast out demons.”
Now if you were to want to know how to play basketball, you probably wouldn’t come to me because I know so little about basketball. You would try to find out what my expertise truly was and then you would ask me about that. You ask a man about his
expertise. You ask a man about the thing which most impresses you about that man.
I believe that without a doubt, the greatest demonstration of divine power was seen not when Jesus Christ raised the dead and not when he walked on water, but when he prayed.
And I believe that when the disciples saw Jesus praying, they could not believe their eyes. They could not believe even what their ears were telling them. Jesus was a man of prayer.
Now let me ask you a question. When people hear you pray do they hear someone who knows God? Do they hear the rhythm of the religion? Do they hear words that have been taught to you by other men? Do they hear form? Do they hear intellect? Or do they
hear a man or a woman or a child who spends much time in the presence of God?
Has anyone ever come to you and said, “Teach me to preach like you preach”? Well, that may be something to boast about, but not before God.
Has anyone ever come to you and said, “Teach me to administrate like you administrate”? Has anyone ever come to you and said, “Teach me to pray”?
I am not much of a man, but I have had the privilege in my life to be in the presence of many men used by God. And the one thing that I noticed. They had very little in common except one thing. When they bowed their knee, something unusual happened.
There is a saying. When someone achieves a certain thing he may look over and with a twinkle in his eye say, “You can’t learn that. You have got to be born with that.”
You can’t fake prayer. ~ Paul Washer