Connected, is a Study of the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples. In Luke 11:1, we read that the disciples requested, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples”. This is how discipleship worked in Bible times: Jewish teachers, called rabbis, had disciples who followed them wherever they went, listening to their teachings and putting into practice what they had learnt. One of the things the rabbis did was to teach their disciples one or more prayers.

In the Old Testament, we read about Eli training Samuel and Elijah mentoring Elisha, etc. Thus we can see that a prophet, teacher or leader would teach their disciples how to function in ministry, according to the Word of God, so that they could continue with the work and teach others too. We see the same thing take place in Christian Churches today, as we follow our leaders in their teachings on the Word of God.

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer for the followers of Christ, disciples of Jesus. It is for those who desire a deeper relationship with God, to know Him as our Father (Abba) who is in heaven, where Jesus is preparing a place for us to live with Him for eternity. God is who He says He is. Jesus revealed Him to us as Father and then included us in His family by teaching us to use the intimate name “Father” too.