Teaching Others to Pray

Luke 11:1

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.

There were very few things the disciples asked Jesus to teach them, and one of them was they wanted Him to teach them to pray. They heard him pray and saw the answers He obtained from the Father, and they wanted to learn how to have that same power in their prayer lives.

I believe one of the greatest things you can teach anyone is how to pray and to get their prayers answered. My parents, and especially my mother, had a great influence on my prayer life and the desire to get my prayers answered. Dr. Jack Hyles who was my pastor for many years, was also a great influence on teaching me to pray. Both of these not only talked about prayer, but they also told stories of answered prayers, which created an appetite in my heart to learn how to pray. By teaching others how to pray, you are teaching them how to get their needs met for the rest of their lives without others having to provide for them. You can provide for others through your own prayer life, or you can teach them how to pray and they will be able to provide for themselves for the rest of their lives. Let me share several tips on how you can teach others to pray.

First, you cannot teach others to pray if you don't have a prayer life. There is something about praying yourself that gives power to your ability to teach. When you can talk about answered prayers and times you prayed, it gives credence to those you are trying to teach how to pray. Developing your own prayer life is the first step in teaching others to pray.

Second, you teach others to pray by praying with others. I believe most of our prayers ought to be done in secret, but there must be times when you pray with others so they know how to pray. One of the great benefits I had as a young man was praying with men of God and my parents. There is something about hearing someone pray that will teach someone how to pray than just telling people how to pray. To hear the prayer of someone who seems like they are having a direct conversation with someone they know very well will stir others to want to learn how to pray. To hear the passion in prayer is always beneficial to the one who wants to learn how to pray. You ought to pray with others if you want to teach them how to pray.

Third, teach lessons from God’s Word about prayer. Teaching what Jesus taught on prayer, and teaching the prayers of the saints in God’s Word is helpful to anyone who wants to learn how to pray. God’s Word is the greatest textbook on prayer and how to get their prayers answered. You will never teach others how to pray if you don't know what God’s Word says about prayer.

Fourth, you teach others how to pray by getting your prayers answered. Talk much about your answered prayers and how you prayed. Success stories of prayer are great lessons to teach others how to pray. Not only will it teach others, but it will stir them with great desire to learn how to get their prayers answered in the same way.

Fifth, praying for the miraculous will teach others how to pray. Certainly, every prayer is a miracle in the making, but every person needs to pray for something so big that when it is answered, it stirs others to have a prayer life that prays for the miraculous.