In Luke 11:1-13 we hear some of Jesus' thoughts on prayer. It is evident from Luke's Gospel that Jesus prays often (Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28). Jesus' disciples have no doubt noticed His prayerfulness and in this passage they ask Him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus starts His instruction by saying "when you pray." For the follower of Christ, prayer is not a matter of if, but when. That isn't to say that prayer is some heartless command, rather it is the natural result of a belief in a personal God.
What follows is what has come to be known as "The Lord's Prayer." The prayer is also recorded in Matthew 6:9-13. The two passages are very similar. The only difference being that Luke's version is shorter at various points. Even still the concepts shared are the same and are given in the same order. The prayers are also recorded in different contexts. Matthew indicates this prayer was shared with a large crowd during the Sermon on the Mount. Luke indicates the prayer to be part of Jesus' answer to a question from the disciples about how to pray. While I certainly think it fruitful to pray the prayer verbatim, it is important to consider the concepts contained within the prayer.
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