Lord, Teach Us to Pray! (with Leonard Ravenhill)

While nearly all Christians esteem prayer and do it at some level, we forget that all of our prayer lives can grow in depth, intimacy, and travail.

Leonard Ravenhill was a man of prayer who not only talked about the importance of intercession, he was a man given to it.

We are beginning a mini-series on prayer and I wanted Leonard Ravenhill to give us a short exhortation on one of his own key life prayers.

Taken from one of his sermons decades ago, this reminder is that we should ask the Lord to teach us to pray.

Listen to and Download the Episode

Luke’s Gospel of Prayer (a bonus thought from Leonard Ravenhill)

There’s nothing more transfiguring than prayer. People often ask, “Why do you insist on prayer so much?” The answer is very simple: because Jesus did. You could change the title of the Gospel according to St. Luke to the “Gospel of Prayer.” It’s the prayer life of Jesus. The other evangelists say that Jesus was in the Jordan and the Spirit descended on Him as a dove – Luke says it was while He was praying that the Spirit descended on Him. The other evangelists say that Jesus chose 12 disciples – Luke says it was after He spent a night in prayer that He chose 12 disciples. The other evangelists say that Jesus died on a cross – Luke says that even when He was dying Jesus was praying for those who persecuted Him. The other evangelists say Jesus went on a mount and He was transfigured – Luke says it was while He was praying that He was transfigured. There’s nothing more transfiguring than prayer.

The Scriptures say that the disciples went to bed, but Jesus went to pray – as was His custom. It was His custom to pray. Now Jesus was the Son of God – He was definitely anointed for His ministry. If Jesus needed all that time in prayer, don’t you and I need time in prayer? If Jesus needed it in every crisis, don’t you and I need it in every crisis? The story goes that a group of tourists visiting a picturesque village saw an old man sitting by a fence. In a rather patronizing way, one of the visitors asked, “Were any great men born in this village?” Without looking up the old man replied, “No, only babies.” The greatest men were once babies. The greatest saints were once toddlers in the things of the Spirit. C. H. Spurgeon was converted at the age of 16 and began preaching in London at the age of 19. When he was 27, they built him a tabernacle seating 6,000 which he packed twice on Sundays – that’s 12,000 – and once on Thursday nights. How? He waited on God. He got alone with God. He studied…and he prayed.

—Leonard Ravenhill

Join the Conversation

Question: What is one way you need to grow in prayer?

Leave a response or ask a question and we will try to address it in a future episode.

The difficulty with podcasts is that they are one-sided—so each week I ask one question for you to participate in the conversation. Head over to the deeperChristian Facebook page to leave a comment and join in the conversation.

Subscribe to the Podcast

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please subscribe on your favorite app by searching for “Deeper Christian Podcast” or clicking the button below.

Help Others Out …
Leave a Rating & Review on Apple Podcasts

If you enjoyed the show, please take 30 seconds and rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. This would be a tremendous blessing to help us get the word out to others who might also enjoy it—as Apple uses the rating and reviews in their searches to help other people find the show.

About NRJohnson

NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) is a Christian who has an overwhelming passion for Jesus, the Gospel, and Studying God’s Word. He is a writer, teacher, and communicator who helps other believers understand and apply the Bible as they grow and mature in their faith—desiring that they gain greater intimacy with Christ, experience the victorious Christian life, and transform the world through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Read more about him here.

About the Deeper Christian Podcast

Many Christians feel frustrated because they don’t grow spiritually. The Deeper Christian Podcast helps equip Christians to understand the Word of God and cultivate a passionate love for Jesus that turns the world upside down.

Whether you want to learn how to study God’s Word, grow in your faith, cultivate a powerful and effective prayer life, share the Gospel boldly, deepen your intimacy with Jesus, live victoriously, or transform the world through the indwelling life of the Holy Spirit, the Deeper Christian Podcast with NRJohnson (Nathan Johnson) will encourage and equip you to grow spiritually and live a Christ-centered life.