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In this lesson:
How to pray. God hears sincere and persistent prayer (11:5-13). More than any other Gospel, Luke shows Jesus praying. See Luke 3:21, 5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 9:28, 22:32, and 22:41 for examples. Study Tip: "It shall greatly help to understand scripture if thou mark, not only what is spoken or written, but of whom, to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, and with what circumstances, considering what goes before and what follows." (Miles Coverdale 1488-1569) |
Jesus praying.
By an unknown artist. |
The Gospel According to St. Luke
The King James Bible
The King James Bible
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Luke 11:1-13
The Lord's prayer 1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. 2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 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. 5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. 9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? |
Margin notes:
"John." (11:1) - John the Baptist. "When ye pray." (11:2) - Notice Jesus said "when" and not "If ye pray." Jesus expects believers to pray. "Our Father which art in heaven..." (11:2-4) - This is known as "The Lord's Prayer." Jesus recited it as a model to follow when we pray. See "Today's Question" below. "Hallowed be thy name." (11:2) - Means God's name is sacred, revered. "Thy kingdom come." (11:2) - This shows a desire for and faith that God's kingdom will come to earth ("as it is in heaven") when Christ returns. "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." (11:2) - A brief petition showing humility and submission to God. "Give us day by day our daily bread." (11:3) - Shows dependency on God and faith that He will provide. "Forgive us our sins." (11:4) - An admission, confession that we are sinners and an acknowledgment that forgiveness comes from God. "For we also forgive every one that is indebted to us." (11:4) - "For we forgive those who have sinned against us." We are to offer forgiveness to others (Matthew 18:33-35). "Lead us not into temptation." (11:4) - This is asking God to protect us from sin. These five simple words convey the Christian desire to avoid the temptation of sin. Although God knows that we face trials and temptations (Luke 22:31-32), He is not the one who tempts us (James 1:13). "Midnight." (11:5) - Jesus deliberately picked an unreasonable hour to bother a friend in His story. But, no time is unreasonable to turn to God. "Trouble me not." (11:7) - "Don't annoy me." "Importunity." (11:8) - Means "persistence." An excellent example of persistence when talking with God can be found in Genesis 18:23-33. "Ask, and it shall be given you." (11:9)- Jesus is reinforcing this message from Matthew 7:7. He will repeat it again in John 14:13. |
We can also find Jesus teaching His disciples to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 (lesson 10). See also "Today's Question" below.
New Living Translation
Luke 11:1-13
Teaching about Prayer
1 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2 Jesus said, "This is how you should pray:
"Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need,
4 and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation."
5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,
6 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.'
7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.'
8 But I tell you this-though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
9 "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 "You fathers-if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?
12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!
13 So if you sinful people 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."
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Teaching about Prayer
1 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
2 Jesus said, "This is how you should pray:
"Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need,
4 and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation."
5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him,
6 'A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.'
7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, 'Don't bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can't help you.'
8 But I tell you this-though he won't do it for friendship's sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
9 "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.
10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
11 "You fathers-if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?
12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!
13 So if you sinful people 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."
This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
Key verses from this passage
"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (11:9)
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (11:13)
"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (11:13)
Today's Question:
1. What does this passage teach us about prayer?
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1. What does this passage teach us about prayer?
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Answers: (Do you agree?)
1. This passage teaches us several things about prayer. First, verses 11:2-4 are a model to follow when we pray. Notice that "The Lord's Prayer" praises our heavenly Father before making any requests. Then it acknowledges our dependence on God and asks Him for help in our daily struggles. Verse 11:3 reminds us that God's delivery is daily. We can't ask once and be done with it. Verse 11:4 reinforces that forgiveness is the cornerstone of our bond with God. God has forgiven us, so we must forgive others. Not to forgive others means we don't fully grasp how much we need to be forgiven. Verses 11:5-10 teaches us to be persistent, that is, to pray often. Anyone who isn't persistent doesn't truly feel the need to pray. Verses 11:11-13 reminds us of God's complete faithfulness.
Remember, "The Lord's Prayer" is only a model for us to follow when we pray. Prayer should be a dialogue with God and not a collection of memorized words written by others. Prayer should be a communication with God and not a way to ask for favors.
Application thought for the day:
How often do you pray?
How often should you pray?
Study the various elements of Jesus' model prayer (11:2-4).
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Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course, the "King James Bible". All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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© 2026 evolke