Any child wanting to be an athlete must go through a learning process in the sport. For instance, girls come into the Gymnastic Academy to learn how to become gymnasts. The process for being a good gymnast takes many years. Gymnasts must learn everything from how to execute skills to how to wear their hair for competition. Girls become gymnasts by participating in gymnastics.
When the disciples said “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1), they expected to participate in the learning process of prayer. They knew they would have to learn to pray just as they had learned to talk, walk or even fish. They would learn to pray by praying.
Christians must learn to pray. Oswald Chambers called prayer “a holy occupation” and said that “the job of every Christian is to pray” (Prayer: A Holy Occupation, Chambers, 7). However, prayer does not come easily to believers because we constantly trip over our carnal nature. Our corrupt nature doesn’t pray for God’s will to be done, but for our will to be done. So, the first lesson the faithful learns is that prayer is the process of seeking God, His will and His purpose of salvation in Christ. The second lesson a Christian learns about prayer is that discerning the will of God is impossible without the assistance of the Holy Spirit teaching through the Word of God. Christians also learn that prayer is allowing the Spirit to rule their hearts so they live obedient lives to God in Christ.
Prayer must be learned, for it is the process through which the Spirit forms Christ’s life within the believer.
Denise Larson Cooper has a passion for Christ and sharing His Word. A wife and mother of two daughters, Denise currently works as a gymnastic coach.
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Godnesia: Keeping God in Mind Each Day http://amzn.to/2GSquOD
Ordinary Days With an Extraordinary Savior – http://amzn.to/2mFGASBLife Is a Metaphor: Recognizing God in the Everyday – http://amzn.to/2De1rU2