Have you looked at something you really wanted?  I know we are not supposed to covet what other people have, but it’s okay to admire a quality in someone that challenges you to become  a better person. Have you ever been inspired by someone who seems deeply connected with God? You watch this person speak effortlessly, and they seem so in tune with God’s heart. It makes you want to know God better. Privately you may say, “God, I really want to pray with the same passion and fervency as this person. I want to feel connected to you.”  

In the same way, the twelve disciples walked around with Jesus and  saw how he communicated with God differently then prayers we find in the Old Testament.  They observed Jesus speaking to God as a son shares his thoughts with His father. It was personal, powerful, and compelling. Out of the twelve men, only one disciple was  bold enough to approach Jesus to find out what makes His prayers so different.  I wonder what the other eleven disciples were feeling? 

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray,”

Do you identify with this one brave disciple?  Like him, do you feel compelled by those you admire around you and see it as an opportunity for spiritual growth?

If we are honest, most of feel unqualified when it comes to our prayer life.  We may feel ashamed because we don’t know how to do it, or feel as if we plainly stink at it.  Others feel as if God may not be listening or care about what they have to say. We feel as if we are interrupting God from solving a world crisis. God is omnipotent, and He available to help you and be everywhere else at the same time. Some of us are scared that if we pray God may tell us to go to remote country against our will. There are various reasons why we may be unqualified to pray.  God wants to remove the awkwardness that many feel and reveal the simple and dynamic conversation it can be in our daily life. He will show us how to connect with Him and speak with Him from a place of peace and confidence. 

Your prayers matter to God, and the good news is that you do not need to be a spiritual giant. If you believe in Jesus, your prayers are not weak. You can say “Jesus, help me,” and God will move heaven and earth to be by your side in time of need. Yet, if you ask Him He is willing to show you just as he answered this disciple’s request.  If your heart compels you, be like the one disciple, and ask him to teach you to pray. Asking Him is to help is a prayer in itself.