Lord, Teach Us to Pray

In Luke’s narrative there are two worded prayers. When you pray say… (Luke 11:2-4) and Peter, John and friends lift their voices together to God and said… (Acts 4:24-30). There are remarkable parallels in the words of these two prayers and some differences also. Between these two worded prayers Jesus has been crucified, resurrected, and ascended to God and the Holy Spirit has been poured out. The first is prayed in anticipation of what the Father will do and the second prayer in fulfillment of what He has done with confidence of what He will do. Compare them.

Luke 11:2 – Father, hallowed be your name. Acts 4:24 – Sovereign Lord who made heaven and earth and sea, who spoke …

Luke 11:2 – Your kingdom come. Acts 4:25-28 – After citation of the enthronement Psalm 2 and the events of Luke 22-23 are recounted the disciples pray — there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus whom you anointed… The Sovereign God has made Jesus Lord and king. The kingly rule of God kingdom has been inaugurated. See Acts 2:36.

Luke 11:3-4 – give us daily bread, forgive our sins. Acts 2 & 3 – Perhaps Luke expects us to see the new community of forgiven people (2:38) who eat daily bread (2:46; 4:33ff).

Luke 11:4 – Lead us not into temptation. Acts 4:29 – And now Lord, look upon their threats and grant your servants boldness to continue to speak. Like Jesus in his temptation (Lk 4:1-13) the disciples are tempted and threatened to eat bread of the empire and serve the tempter.

Lk 11:13 – the heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Acts 4:31 – they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

Yes, let us say the words Jesus taught his disciple to say and by his kingly deeds may we learn to pray those words again in our present situation.

—Tom Yoakum