Ready when you are

In the Gospel of Luke chapter 11, we read the account of the disciples asking Jesus for instruction on how to pray and Jesus teaching to them what we call the Lord's Prayer (vv.1-4). As I've been teaching on this for the last 7 weeks at Emmaus Road Church, one of the more curious things I've noticed about this request is when it takes place.

By this point, the disciples had been with Jesus for many months. So why hadn't Jesus taught them this already? If you or I were in charge of a movement that we hoped would change the world, don't you think we'd start by teaching our followers the fundamentals, like how to really pray to God? Of course we would. But Jesus didn't. Why not?

Simply put, I think Jesus recognized that the disciples weren't ready. So instead of forcing something upon them they could not really apprehend, Jesus simply modeled it for them until they were ready. One writer puts it this way,

"Jesus simply prayed. He just prayed and prayed until [the disciples] eventually asked, 'How do you do it?' By way of answer, He said, 'Try this.' It was so important He didn't insist they learn to pray until they themselves perceived they were missing something."

After reading that, I grasped just a little more fully what the point is of much of our frustration when it comes to life--especially our spiritual life. By not answering our flippant requests, the ones we usually offer Him as we're falling asleep or when we're in some desperate situation, God creates in us a dissatisfaction, a longing for something more and something greater. In this way, he weeds out all things trivial in order that what is fundamental and true can grow tall and strong until we recognize it as that which we most truly and desperately need.

It's not that God's unwilling, it's simply that we're not ready. In fact, God is always ready, but most than that, He's ready when you are.