Lord, Teach Us to Pray

I grew up in a Christian household. My parents took me to church, we stayed for Sunday School, and when I was old enough, they made sure I was involved in the youth group. Throughout my life, I’ve attended and participated in many Bible studies—though it wasn’t until I became an adult that the decision to attend was truly my own.

Last year, I volunteered to teach an adult Sunday School class and led the group through a study on discipleship. It was the first thorough Bible study I had ever prepared on my own, and it was a meaningful and stretching experience. Now, as I prepare to lead another study, it’s been heavy on my heart to explore the topic of prayer.

Prayer is perhaps one of the most frequently encountered themes in all of Scripture. Depending on the Bible translation, some form of the word “prayer” appears between 400 and 450 times, and there are an estimated 160 to 200 distinct prayers recorded in the Bible. We read about Abraham, David, Daniel, Hannah, Mary, and so many others pouring their hearts out to God—but most importantly, we see Jesus Himself constantly in prayer. That alone should tell us something: prayer matters.

So… where do you even begin a Bible study on something as central, vast, and personal as prayer?

Do we start with the who, what, when, where, and why of prayer?
Do we begin with Whom we are praying to?
Should we talk about how to pray?
Or even… what is prayer, really?

As I wrestled through those questions, it hit me:

I need to pray about prayer.
I need to stop and ask God what He wants to say.

So I did.
I prayed.
I sought wisdom.
I read.
I prompted AI.
I listened to podcasts.
And I kept praying.

And through that process, Luke 11:1 kept rising to the surface:

“Lord, teach us to pray…”

That’s where we’re starting.

This simple, powerful request came from one of Jesus’ disciples—someone who spent nearly every waking hour with Him. Someone who had watched Him perform miracles, teach with authority, and retreat often to pray. Someone who had grown up in a deeply religious culture where prayer was a daily, structured part of life. And yet, even with all of that background, he came to Jesus and said:

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

They weren’t asking for a ritual.
They weren’t asking for a script.
They were asking for something real—something Jesus had that they didn’t.

I think it’s fair to say that compared to today’s culture, the disciples and their community were already experts on prayer. But what they saw in Jesus showed them there was more—something deeper, something intimate, something powerful.

That’s what I want.
And if you’re reading this, I believe it’s something you want too.

So that’s where our study begins: not with the answers, but with the question.
Not with a lecture, but with a longing.

“Lord, teach us to pray.”

If that’s your heart, I hope you’ll walk this road with me.
Let’s seek Him together—not just to understand prayer better, but to draw closer to the God who invites us to call Him Father.