On this particular day, after Jesus finished praying, one of his disciples approached him with a request that would change everything: "Lord, teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1).
It's a remarkable request when you think about it. These were Jewish men. They'd been praying since childhood. They knew the traditional prayers--the Shema, the Kaddish, the Amidah. Prayer wasn't foreign to them.
But they'd seen something different in Jesus. They'd watched him pray with an intimacy, an authority, an expectation they'd never witnessed before. His prayers weren't recitations. They were conversations with someone he knew deeply and loved completely. When Jesus prayed, things happened. Sick people were healed. Demons fled. Storms calmed. The Father's will was done.
I have built a life on prayer. Better yet, God has built my life on prayer. I wrote this book to gather 40 plus years of teaching, preaching, and practice of prayer. Prayer is where I have partnered with the Holy Spirit to watch the kingdom of God released in extremely different settings around the world. It is my invitation to join the journey to a richer partnership with the Living God.
