The Gospel of Luke
Ask, and it shall be given you. Seek, and you shall find.
Key words
- Hallowed: holy
Can atheists be buried in hallowed ground?
- Persistent: continuing to do something in a determined way even when facing difficulties or opposition
Be persistent - don't give up.
- Lose heart: to stop believing that you can succeed
Don't lose heart, everything will be OK.
- Exalt: to praise someone a lot, or to raise someone to a higher rank or more powerful position
If you keep exalting him, he will become arrogant.
- Humble: not better than others; not proud
He’s a humble man, he’s not comfortable talking about his own achievements.
Read the article to find the answers
- How many parables about prayer did Jesus teach?
- In the first parable, what did He teach about prayer?
- What did He teach about prayer in the second parable?
- What did He teach about prayer in the third parable?
The Lord's Prayer
One day, after Jesus finished praying, one of his disciples asked him to teach them how to pray. He taught them to pray like this:
Our Father, in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
Parables about prayer
Then Jesus taught them to be persistent in prayer:
Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and ask him for some food, but your friend tells you not to bother him because his children are already in bed and he doesn't want to disturb them.
I tell you, your friend won't get up and give you food just because you are friends, but he will give you food if you are persistent. He will get up and give you as much as you need.
So I tell you, everyone who asks receives, the one who seeks finds, and the door is opened for the one who knocks.
Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? If he asks for a fish, will you give him a snake? If he asks for an egg, will you give him a scorpion? Even though you are evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?
Then He told them a parable to teach them that people should be persistent in prayer and not lose heart.
There was a judge who did not fear God or care about people. In the same city, there was a widow who was the victim of a crime. She asked him for justice. For a while, the judge refused, but then he thought to himself, "Even though I do not fear God or care about people, I will grant her justice because she keeps bothering me. Otherwise, her persistence will wear me out."
Jesus assured them that God would grant justice because He cares for His children and hears their prayers, but Jesus lamented that the Jews of that generation did not believe in Him. Then He told a parable to those Jews who thought they were righteous and looked down on others.
Two men went to the temple to pray. One was a religious leader, and the other was a tax collector.
The religious leader stood by himself and prayed like this: "God, I thank you that I am not like other people - cheaters, unjust, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of my income to the temple."
But the tax collector, standing at a distance, wouldn't even raise his eyes to heaven. He beat his chest and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."
I can assure you that the tax collector, not the religious leader, prayed properly. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Discussion questions
- Do you have any questions about any of the vocabulary or grammar in this article?
- Do you know the Bible passage quoted at the top of this article?
- How often do you pray?
- How do you pray?
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