Luke 11:1 – Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples to pray.

I firmly believe that prayer is the work of the church. It is not an exercise which we learn to do to help us with the work of the church. It is the work of the church. It is not to undergird us to do the work of the church. It is the work of the church.

Now, I realize this runs counter to the thinking of many. However, it certainly does not run counter to the teaching of the Bible. The disciples never asked Jesus to help them develop skills for preaching, calling, organizing, or public relations. They did ask Jesus to teach them to pray.

Every follower of Jesus should be making the same request. Serving on committees and feverishly working for the church is not the work of the church. I do not want to speak disparagingly of these activities, but they must be put in their proper perspective. Prayer cannot be put at the bottom of our list and the church remain a channel of God's power and purpose. It is my prayer that each of us will come to appreciate that prayer is the work of His Church.

Prayer: Father, help us to put prayer high on our priorities and to be faithful in our prayer life. Amen.

(From The Ministry of the Master ©1986 by Donald Bartow. Used by permission.)

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