St. Luke Lutheran Church

Few questions can make churchgoers squirm more than “How’s your prayer life?”  The question can be ambiguous.  Is the question asking how diligently you pray, or is the questioner asking how effective are your prayers? If the question asks about our diligence, do we respond based on the number of minutes we pray or the frequency with which we pray?  Most Christians readily admit that they do not spend as much time in prayer “as they ought.”  If the question is about effectiveness, we need an agreed-upon response.  What does it mean to be effective in prayer?  Is it measured by the times God answers our prayers as we intended?

We might struggle to answer the question about our prayer life, but we all agree that a consistent practice of prayer is important.  God’s Word clarifies that our life in Christ was to be bathed in prayer.  Paul urges us, “Pray without Ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  Jesus encourages us, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).  James chastised us, “You do not have because you do not ask. (James 4:2)”

We will begin a new sermon series on prayer on April 28th.  We will use the Lord’s Prayer as the foundation of our sermon series.  As we examine each petition, we will explore topics related to the petition.  For example, as we focus on the phrase, “Hollowed be thy name,” we will also examine the Scripture’s teaching on the power and purpose of praise.  When we talk about the petition, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we will also dig into our attitudes and practices that may hinder a positive response to our prayers.