Genesis 18:20–32 | Psalm 138 | Colossians 2:12–14 | Luke 11:1–13
Praise God, Praise be to Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen. Come Holy Spirit, Come.
Friends,
Sometimes we come to God with eloquent prayers. Other times, we come with nothing but a sigh. Either way, the Gospel today reminds us: God listens. Not because we say it perfectly, but because we dare to say it at all.
The disciples watched Jesus pray—not with performance, but with peace. They saw something they didn’t just admire… they needed. So they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” And Jesus gave them a prayer that begins not with ritual—but with relationship: Father. Not distant or formal. Close. Intimate. Family.
In Genesis, Abraham shows us a raw and honest prayer. “I am but dust and ashes,” he says. But he doesn’t walk away. He stays. He pleads for mercy. He negotiates like a father begging for his children’s safety. And God listens. Not because Abraham had it all together, but because he dared to draw near.
Let me tell you something personal. My father was a preacher. I grew up around sermons and Scripture. If asked, I could stand up and offer a spontaneous prayer. But the person who taught me to really pray from my heart… was my wife. It wasn’t in a pulpit—it was in a hospital room. In quiet nights when she was sick. I couldn’t fix it, couldn’t do much—but I could pray. And I did. Out of love. Out of helplessness. And out of faith in a God who never feels helpless.
Together, we taught our daughters to pray—not with big speeches, but with everyday grace. And now I watch them—grown women, mothers and wives—doing the same. They teach their children and husbands to pray. Not by words, but by example. By the way they love. By their faith. By their presence.
They sow the seed by their life. They water it with presence. They enrich the soil with prayer..
Psalm 138 says, “Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me.” That’s not just beautiful language—it’s a lived truth. God is near to the lowly. God preserves the broken. God answers the fragile whisper as surely as the polished plea.
And in Colossians we hear something radical: even when we were spiritually dead—Jesus made us alive. God didn’t wait for us to be better. He met us where we were. On the cross. In the dark. In our sin. And He gave us life.
So here’s the heart of today’s message, friends:
Faithful prayer doesn’t require perfection—it requires presence.
If your prayer is cracked and clumsy, God hears it. If your faith is worn thin, God holds it. If all you’ve got left is a whisper, God leans in close.
Ask, and you will receive.
Seek, and you will find.
Knock, and the door will be opened.
Teach your children to pray by praying with them. Teach your spouse to pray by praying for them. And teach the world about Jesus by how you live, how you forgive, and how you love.
Let our prayer today be simple and true:
“Lord, teach us to pray.”
And may we be faithful enough to show up.
Be good, be holy, and proclaim the Gospel by the way you live your l2;ives and love one another.
Praise God, Praise be to Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen.
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