Teach Us to Pray - Linda Bailey
This past Sunday, Linda Bailey kicked off our new sermon series, "Teach Us to Pray," delving into the vital practice of prayer and exploring what we can learn from Jesus. Drawing from Luke 11, Linda offered fresh perspectives on how understanding God's character shapes the way we approach Him.
Following you’ll find a video and audio recording of Linda’s message as well as a short summary and small group discussion questions relating to it.
Linda began her message with a relatable modern phrase: "I was today years old when..." often used when someone discovers something seemingly obvious they hadn't known before. She humorously shared examples like the proper way to hold juice boxes or the hidden function of a screwdriver handle. This concept served as a bridge to the topic of prayer. Many of us have prayed for years, yet there might still be "today years old" moments where we gain new insights or reminders about connecting with God, even if we feel we already know a lot.
The Universal Reach of Prayer
Highlighting statistics, Linda reminded us that prayer isn't confined to church walls. Surveys indicate a significant portion of Australians, around 45%, pray occasionally, with three in ten praying weekly. This includes many people outside the church community, demonstrating a widespread human desire to connect with a higher power for help and guidance.
Teach Us to Pray: A Disciple's Request
The core passage from Luke 11 features Jesus's disciples asking Him, "Lord, teach us to pray." Linda emphasised that these weren't novices; they were faithful Jewish men, familiar with traditional prayers and the Psalms. They had also spent considerable time observing Jesus. Yet, they recognised something profoundly different and intimate in the way Jesus connected with His Father. Their request signifies that learning and deepening our prayer life is an ongoing journey for everyone, regardless of experience.
Beyond the Lord's Prayer: Understanding God Through Parable
While Jesus responds with the model we know as the Lord's Prayer, Linda focused on the subsequent parable (Luke 11:5-13) about the neighbour asking for bread late at night. To truly grasp its meaning, she explained, we need to understand the first-century Middle Eastern cultural context.
1. Hospitality: Hospitality then was far more profound than our modern understanding. It was an essential duty to provide generously for guests, reflecting honour on the host and community. The idea of turning away someone in need, especially a neighbour requesting help to fulfil their own hospitable duty to a guest, was almost unthinkable.
2. Community: A guest wasn't just the responsibility of one household but the entire village. Neighbours shared a collective responsibility to welcome and provide. The need of one was the concern of all, making the refusal described in the parable even more culturally jarring and unlikely.
3. Shame and Honour (Anadian): Linda highlighted the Greek word anadian (often translated as 'shameless audacity' or 'persistence'). She argued, following theologian Daryl Johnson, that an earlier and perhaps more accurate translation relates to 'shamelessness' in the sense of avoiding shame or preserving honour ('saving face'). The neighbour inside the house would get up not primarily because of the knocker's persistence, but to avoid bringing shame upon himself, his family, and his village by failing in the crucial duties of hospitality and community support. It was about upholding his and the community's good name.
Praying to a God Who Responds
Connecting this cultural understanding back to prayer, Linda explained the significance:
We pray to a God of Extravagant Hospitality: He gives generously, over and above what we ask or imagine.
We pray to a God of Loving Community: He desires unity and wants His blessings to extend through us to others.
We pray to a God Who Guards His Name: God responds to prayer not just to meet our needs, but also because His reputation is involved. He acts in ways that bring glory to His name, demonstrating His faithfulness, power, and love, so all might know Him. Refusing to help someone who comes to Him in genuine need would be inconsistent with His very character and His desire for His name to be honoured.
Therefore, we don't need to persuade a reluctant God through sheer persistence. We approach a Father whose very nature—His hospitable, community-focused, honour-bound character—means He wants to respond. He desires His goodness to be known.
The Ultimate Gift
The passage concludes by stating that if even flawed humans give good gifts, how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? Linda stressed that God's greatest gift is His very presence through the Holy Spirit, enabling daily connection, intimacy, guidance, and grace.
Understanding the incredible, responsive nature of the God we pray to transforms how we pray – approaching Him with confidence in His generosity, His communal heart, and His desire for His glorious name to be known through His response to us.
Small Group Discussion Questions:
Linda shared the "today years old" concept. Can you recall a time you learned something new or saw something differently about prayer or God, even after years of faith?
How does knowing that many people outside the church also pray affect your perspective on prayer's role in society?
The experienced disciples asked Jesus, "Teach us to pray." What does this teach us about the posture we should have towards learning about prayer?
Discuss the cultural concepts of hospitality, community, and 'saving face' (avoiding shame) that Linda explained. How did understanding this context change your view of the parable in Luke 11:5-13?
How does viewing God as inherently hospitable, community-minded, and concerned with His own honour (wanting His goodness known) influence how you approach Him in prayer? Does it change what or how you pray?
Linda mentioned God's reputation is "at stake" when His people pray. How does this idea challenge or encourage you in your prayer life?
The passage ends by highlighting the gift of the Holy Spirit. How does the reality of the Holy Spirit's presence impact your daily prayer life and connection with God?