You are listening to Radical with David Platte, a weekly podcast with sermons and messages

from pastor, author and teacher David Platte.

I'm convinced that the majority of Christ's followers, majority of Christians today, see

and know at least accept the need and importance of prayer.

We read a lot of books about prayer, you go to the Christian bookstore, there are tons

of books on prayer.

We talk about prayer, we ask people to pray for us, we ask people how we can be praying

for them and yet today across the board, the church is anything but a praying church.

So what does it mean to pray?

And why should we pray?

I want us to begin this morning to dive in over the next four weeks into Luke chapter

11 and I want us to see Jesus answer to that question.

I want us to see Jesus showing us some things about prayer each of these weeks.

We're going to focus on one word that I think Jesus is highlighting the deals with our praying.

This morning we're going to look at desperation next week, desire, the next week, boldness

and then close out on confidence, desperation, desire, boldness and confidence.

These are words that sadly enough, we don't oftentimes associate with prayer.

I want us to see how they're at the center of what it means to pray, starting with desperation

this morning.

Most everybody prays when they're desperate, I mean really desperate, even most atheists

or agnostics would admit that when they get into a circumstance where there's no way

out, there's at least a desire to pray to a God they may not even believe is there.

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