LD 45 - The Basics of Biblical Prayer

Suppose as you were sitting at home last night after dinner you received a phone call in which you were asked to answer a brief survey about prayer. You agreed and these are the questions you heard: On a scale of one to ten, how fresh are your prayers? In other words, do you find yourself simply repeating the same worn-out phrases day after day? How much time do you spend praying for the honor of God? Ten minutes a day, five minutes a day, one minute a day, or no time at all. How frequently do you use prayer to combat temptation? 100 percent of the time, 50 percent, 25 percent, or never. On a scale of one to ten, how satisfied are you with your prayer life?

Questions like these may help us to welcome a series of lessons that provide a practical, biblical overview of Christian prayer. And that's just what the last eight Lord's Days of the Heidelberg Catechism provide.

In Lord's Day 45 the catechism asks three basic questions about prayer: Why, how, and what, using the Lord's Prayer as a guide.