Jesus is going to teach his disciples and likewise us what it looks like to pray. We actually see in Luke’s corresponding version of the Lord’s prayer the disciples actually ask Jesus to teach them how to pray. That shows us two things. First, out of all the things the disciples could have asked Jesus to teach them, they asked to be taught how to pray. They didn’t ask how to build a church, influence people, or even evangelize. They asked Jesus how to pray. They knew how important prayer was because they saw Jesus constantly taking the time to pray. The second thing that we see is that praying is able to be taught, which means that it is a practice/discipline. It is a discipline the more we do it the more we will understand it. With that baseline, Jesus begins to teach them how to pray by giving them a prayer. He is modeling what prayer should look like, that is how they will learn to pray.

He begins by rejoicing in who God the Father is. He starts the prayer by lifting God up in praise. Jesus is teaching us that our prayers should revere and honor God for who he is. Our starting point in prayer is remembering who God is. That he is high and lifted up. That he sits on the throne in all of his glory. Our eyes turn up to see him. He is not like us. He is deserving of our worship. We pray to a God, who is great and powerful and whose glory knows no end. It leads us naturally to humility. When we see God like that we see that his holiness sets him apart from humanity. Prayer begins with praise. We rejoice in who God is.