"Lord, Teach Us To Pray"

When we lived in south Georgia a man called one night and asked if I could come to a local hotel to speak with him. He said he was from out of town and was really depressed and just needed to talk with someone. He had gotten my name and phone number from a directory in the lobby of that hotel. I went to the hotel and found his room only to be totally shocked to find this man so drunk he could barely sit up. I discovered he was an airline pilot who was in town for a layover and flying out the next day. As we talked he shared with me that his wife had filed for divorce and was taking their two children to live in another state. In short, his life was a depressing failure. He asked if I would pray for him.
Normally I would not hesitate to honor such a request. This situation was different. I told him I was unsure if that was his true heart talking or the contents of the nearly empty whiskey bottle on the nightstand. Over the years I learned to be cautious about even sharing the gospel with someone was high or drunk and usually asked them to contact me when they sobered up. This man began to weep uncontrollably. I was very uneasy about what he might do if I just left him alone. I was also a bit uncomfortable with what might happen to his passengers the next day. So, I went down to the lobby and filled four cups with hot, black coffee.
To cut to the chase, I sat with this sad man for several hours and after four cups of coffee and a cold shower I felt that he was ready to land this plane, pun intended.
He said, "I've never prayed because I don't know how. That's why I called you." I opened my Bible and read these words of Jesus to him -

"One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say:
Father,
hallowed be you name
your kingdom come.
Give us each day or daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who
sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation."  Luke 11:1-4 NIV

We also read the same instruction Jesus gave in Matthew's account of the Sermon on the Mount at Matthew 6 because he kind of expands it beyond what Luke recalled.
My point is this, with the pilot and with my current blog readers - there really is no specific formula for HOW to pray, we just need to pray. Repeating those words Jesus spoke is a good place to begin but there is no magical quality about them. Seems to me Jesus isn't saying that we should memorize and repeat his words verbatim as some sort of spiritual good luck charm that will open God's ears. However, if you are not a person of consistent prayer or are new to following Jesus, by all means start with this prayer.
Praying is simple, just talk to your Father. Study the prayers of Jesus and you can learn much about how the heart sees, hears and feels the presence of God when we pray. Begin a planned time of quiet solitude when you can meet God and bear your heart. He already knows what's in your heart, but he really wants to hear you speak it just like any father with his children.
These words of David really stir my spirit -

"I love the house where you live O Lord, the place where your glory dwells." Psalm 26:8 NIV

I'm not sure of all that David meant with these tender words but for me, I have come to think of that "house" as a place within my spirit where I meet with God. I love that place and go there often. Think about it and give it a trial run. It might work for you too.
I have often wondered what happened to the pilot. He did finally pray for his wife, his kids and himself in a broken, sincere way. I talked with him about Jesus and gave him a list of scriptures to study. I urged him to make contact with someone in his town to help him get to a better spiritual place and he promised to contact me again if I could be of further assistance. He gave me phone a number to call him but when I tried a few days later it was disconnected. Maybe we can reconnect in heaven.
Your takeaway is this - don't get hung up on "how" to pray. JUST PRAY! Pick up that phone and dial God up. He's always waiting to hear from his kids.
Until next time, think of just one way you can increase your prayer time, and DO IT!