1. God
Calls Us
to the
Place
Where
Prayer
Begins

2. Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1
“Lord, teach us to pray

3. Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer:
flows from a life of prayer.
follows an example of right relationships.
And He said to them, “When you pray, say:
“Father, hallowed be your name…”

4. Jesus come into our hearts.
The Center of Prayer
Is Relationship
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice and opens the door; I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice and opens the door; I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
To truly pray is to let
Jesus come into our hearts.

5. The door is obviously closed. Surrounded by thorns.
What Do You See?
The door is obviously closed.
Surrounded by thorns.
No exterior door handle is visible.
The lighting near the door appears as a heart.
Holman Hunt later explained the meaning of the painting's symbolism: "The closed door was the obstinately shut mind; the weeds the cumber of daily neglect, the accumulated hindrance of sloth; the bat flitting about only in darkness was a natural symbol of ignorance..."
The picture was so important to Holman Hunt that he painted it three times, at different points in his life, and said that working on it the first time had made him become a Christian.

6. It is not our prayer that moves the Lord Jesus. not our prayer
It is Jesus who moves us to pray.
I doubt that I know of a passage in the whole Bible which throws greater light upon prayer than this one does. It is, it seems to me, the key which opens the door into the holy and blessed realm of prayer.
To pray is to let Jesus come into our hearts. Ole Hallesby
This throws new light upon the old prophetic passages: “Before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24)… Before we call, He graciously makes known to us what gift He has decided to impart to us. He knocks to move us … to pray.
This teaches us, in the first place, that it is not our prayer which moves the Lord Jesus. It is Jesus who moves us to pray. He knocks. Thereby He makes known His desire to come in to us. Our prayers are always a result of Jesus’ knocking at our heart’s doors.
Jesus stands at our door.
Jesus does the knocking.
Jesus makes known His desire for fellowship with us.

7. It is Not Our Prayer . . . It is Jesus’ Desire . . .
. . . that draws Jesus into our hearts.
. . . that moves Jesus to come to us.
It is Jesus’ Desire . . .
. . . to have access to us.
. . . to enter of His own accord.
. . . to come in and fellowship with us.

8. God’s Design for Prayer
Let Jesus be involved in our needs.
Give Jesus permission to use His powers to alleviate our distress.
Let Jesus glorify His name in the midst of our struggles.

9. Prayer . . .
. . . is not dependent upon the powers of the one who prays.
. . . is not dependent upon our will or our emotions or even our understanding.

10. The Beginning of Prayer . . .
. . . is opening the door.
. . . is giving Jesus access to our needs.
. . . is allowing Jesus to exercise His own power in dealing with our struggles.

11. Let Us
Pray