Teach Us To Pray (1 CD)

TEACH US TO PRAY. Some epigrams are so thought-provoking that they almost beg to be re-read. This one fits that description: ‘It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.’ That thought-provoking axiom reflected a deeply Christian insight; but it was uttered by a non-Christian, renowned as a politician and spiritual leader of India. He was known as the Mahatma (‘great souled’) Gandhi. Jesus’ disciples were drawn to that kind of heart-prayer because they observed it in the person of their Divine Master, as Holy Scripture records: ‘He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1). The response of Jesus to this request was an articulated combination of both heart and words. Today, 20 centuries later, having been uttered and even sung countless billions of times, it is recognized by every Christian as the best heart-prayer ever devised–the Lord’s prayer, also known as the Our Father. Its seven petitions embrace all the essentials of a good relationship of a creature with the Creator. But implicit in those petitions are other major forms of prayer such as prayers of adoration, repentance, deliverance,forgiveness, holy abandonment, etc. This talk is a teaching on that teaching. It’s a direction program for all prayer warriors who heed the quipster’s droll advice: ‘When all else fails, follow directions.’