Secret Prayer

For all the publicity given to prayer in Christianity today, most Christians still don’t pray all that much. Prayer is something we know we should do, but seldom actually do. Not that we don’t pray before meals, or during church, or for a moment here and there. But for many the art of secret prayer evades us. We struggle to know how to pray and wonder if it is actually helping when we do. The good news is that we are not alone. The disciples struggled with prayer too. In Luke 11we read about the disciples asking Jesus how to pray. The book Christ’s Object Lessons gives this vivid description: “Christ’s disciples were much impressed by His prayers and by His habit of communion with God. One day after a short absence from their Lord, they found Him absorbed in supplication. Seeming unconscious of their presence, He continued praying aloud. The hearts of the disciples were deeply moved. As He ceased praying, they exclaimed, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’ ” (p. 140).