I used to think that when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray that they were just sitting on the hillside, bickering, and swatting flies as one of them asked Jesus to teach them to pray. 

But after I stepped into a hard ministry role when I was utterly dependent upon a move of the Lord, my idea shifted. I was living in a city where there was not yet a church and where there had not been a Gospel-proclaiming presence for 100 years. The tools I had were powerless to bring hope into the layers of suffering I witnessed. I began to wonder if the disciples’ request came out of desperation.  

I wonder if, like me, the disciples were struck by their impotence to make any lasting transformation in the crowds around them and powerless to give them what they needed. The disciples had seen Jesus’ ability to restore hope and dignity. They had witnessed his prayer life and realized their efforts would be lacking without whatever Jesus had. I wonder if the disciples – for the sake of the people around them – were desperate. 

My own prayer life had become marked by my inability to create any lasting change, to walk in faithfulness, or even to simply stand in the darkness. My futile attempts at developing regular prayer habits, coaching myself into disciplines, or praying for anyone with measurable results mocked me. The books about prayer in our office heaped shame on my failure. 

I was desperate and needed the Teacher to teach me how to pray. 

“Lord, teach me to pray. Teach me to know your heart, to recognize your voice, to draw close to you in each moment.”

Thus began a season of prayer walking with a friend. We prayed through the Lord’s prayer. We mulled over each phrase throughout the day. We learned how to praise the Father. We walked deeper into confession. We poured out our hearts in intercession. We cried out to the Lord for his Kingdom to be established on Earth as it is in Heaven.  

We saw changes in our community, in our church, and mostly in us. We learned to recognize the voice of the Father and developed a reflex to dialogue with him throughout the day. God was teaching us to pray.