Happenings 26 February 2026

The famous Lord’s Prayer should more properly be called the 'Disciples’ Prayer' – it was given to disciples but it was also given because of a disciple.

It happened one day when one of his friends and followers observed Jesus as he was praying. I doubt this was the first time Jesus had been watched while praying. Perhaps this particular disciple had covertly spied on Jesus many times: seeing Jesus walk off early in the morning … praying; blessing the food … praying; chatting to his heavenly father as he commuted from A to B … praying.

Now, watching another person praying is not usually ‘party central’. I mean, how often have you rearranged your schedule to fit in some prayer-watching? And yet this disciple didn’t just want to observe it, he wanted to learn it. Think about that – there must have been something very compelling about the prayer-life of Jesus for this person to say, “I want what you have.” What unpretentious passion did he see in Jesus as he prayed? Did he see Jesus’ face light up whenever he thought about his Father? Was there an unfathomable peace that came upon Jesus’ face when he brought his worship and his needs before his Great Friend? Had this disciple been surprised at times by Jesus laughing out loud as he shared a funny experience with his God?

On this day, Luke tells us that Jesus was praying in a certain place, and only when he finished did his disciple go up to him asking for this prayer lesson (Luke 11:1). I can imagine Jesus’ friend jittering and bouncing with impatience, like children in the back of a car asking, ‘Are we there yet?’, waiting for him to be finished so that he too could get in on the action!

‘Come on, Jesus. Come on!’
And then …

‘Lord, teach us to pray.’

Perhaps with a twinkle in his eye, like someone sharing a great treasure, Jesus begins: ‘Our Father …’
There is no guilt in this story. Just the awareness of privilege.
There is no boredom in this story. Or perhaps even effort.
There is unabashed desire. There is enthusiasm. There is an invitation to discover what we’ve been missing out on. There is something to think about.

In Him,
Murray