Insights and Warnings

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach us – “Theotropism, man’s turning toward God, is a structure of experience that may be attained through the performance of ritual acts, prayer,…

Nature Abhors a Vacuum

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach us – Heschel provides an amazing collection of thoughts about prayer.  Here’s the one we will deal with today: “Prayer cannot live in…

Liturgy

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach us – If prayer is primarily kavvanah, then why memorize the words?  Wouldn’t it be more spiritual to simply pour out our deepest…

Begin Again

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach us – Heschel wrote: “Prayer as a way of speaking is a way that leads nowhere.  The text must never be more important…

Purposeful Prayer

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV To pray – “The purpose of prayer is not the same as the purpose of speech.  The purpose of speech is to inform; the…

Futile Exercises

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV To pray – Perhaps it would help a bit to know the etymology of proseuchomai, the usual word for “to pray” in the Greek…

The Heartache of my Soul

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Us – Have you discovered that you don’t have the right words for prayer?  You want to communicate with God, but when you actually…

Theory or Practice

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach – Do you know how to pray?  Do you know the purpose of prayer?  Do you understand the importance of prayer?  Great, you’re…

Shameful Prayer

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach us – Do you find it odd that the disciples asked Yeshua to teach them to pray?  We know, of course, that they…

Terrifying Prayer

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1  NIV Teach us –  “To live without prayer is to live without God, to live without a soul.”[1]  When I first read Heschel’s words some…