Go ahead...talk with God.
When Jesus encourages his disciples to pray, for example:
and
Jesus simply directs them "to ask the Father in his (Jesus') name." The point is this: Go ahead and talk with God; and when you ask the Father for a response, ask in Jesus' name. That is, you ask for what will glorify Jesus...that what is done will be for Jesus' sake...to lift up his work and his name.
Thousands and thousands of books and videos have been prepared by well-meaning men and women analyzing the subject of prayer. And yes, this website offers some resources as well. Read and watch as you need.
But, if a Christian waits to pray until all the books and videos and sermons are read and digested, the person will never pray. So, go ahead and talk with God knowing he is not measuring eloquence, pauses, and organization.
Yes, it is true that Jesus' disciples asked him "how to pray" (Matthew 6:5-15). Ask Jesus to do the same for you! He can and will teach you.
The Good News Is...
Jesus prayed, often going to a place away from the crowds to talk with the Father. The twelve disciples took note, and shortly after His ministry began, they asked, “Teach us to pray.” So Jesus taught them. That’s good news—clearly Jesus and the Father want us to talk to them. How discouraging it would be if Jesus had responded with, “No. The Father wants you to keep your distance.”
But, didn’t the disciples know how to pray? Well, yes and no. Jewish people prayed lengthy, prescribed prayers at designated times each day. So, prayer was certainly not new to them. But they must have recognized Jesus’ prayer life was beyond their routine—that He had something they needed to know.
“Pray then like this….,” Jesus began in his teaching. He does not give them a prayer merely to memorize and recite. They had those. No, Jesus is teaching them to talk to God in a new, much more personal way. They were to talk with the Father the way He did. It must have been evident to them that Jesus prayed not out of form, tradition, and repetition but out of the need of the moment and then from His heart and with familiarity. “Pray then like this,” Jesus said.
Pray “Our Father……” Now, we need to stop right there. Jesus is teaching something radical isn’t he? Do you see it? When Jesus prayed, how do you suppose he started? That’s right…….He would say “My Father” or “Father.” See Matthew 26:39 & 42, Luke 23:34.
Jesus teaches us to pray “Our Father.” His Father is my Father? Yes. Jesus has, in his redeeming work on the cross, restored me to a relationship with the Father. This relationship is to be constant, dynamic, trusting, and near similar to a child’s relationship with one’s earthly father. Jesus’ Father has become my Father. This is good news.
To pray like this—the way Jesus taught—is a declaration to the Father that I trust the saving, restoring, and teaching work of His Son. Surely it must please God when I call Him “Father,” especially as I come to Him with praise and worship trusting that He will respond to me like a Father to a son.
Don’t know how to pray? Jesus is a good teacher; He has taught us everything we need to know, including where to begin. Begin with “Father.”
The Good News Is...
Jesus taught his disciples how to pray. He didn’t say, “Pray this.” He said, “Pray like this.” And while there is certainly nothing wrong with repeating The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus’ intent was to teach—to illustrate how to pray rather than give his disciples a prayer to recite.
Jesus’ illustration of prayer is short: thirty-five words in total as recorded in Matthew’s gospel. That’s good news—Jesus’ example illustrates we err if we think our prayer is heard because of many words. (6:7) The Father is not moved by length. But, while Jesus didn’t teach length, he did teach substance. In the thirty-five word prayer, Jesus offers six requests to make. The first three give our attention to God—“your name,” “your kingdom,” and “your will.” The last three requests are about us—“give us,” “forgive us,” and “lead us.” Prayer includes talking with the Father and making requests, requests first about God glory and purpose and secondly requests about you and me. If we pray as Jesus taught, our priorities must be straight.
Lesson over? No, not at all if we give thought to the substance of each request. When I declare or request that God’s name be kept holy or “hallowed,” seismic waves of self-examination should ripple through my whole body, life, and world. To pray the holiness of God’s name is to proclaim that He is separate, far above all evil--that He is pure and perfect; and that I desire His name to be neither smudged nor shamed by my words or my behavior! It is my agreement with God's command:
According to Jesus’ teaching, prayer begins, then, with my honor and reverence and commitment to God’s name—to God, Himself. My desire for God’s glory will guide and guard what I will shortly ask for myself. How can I ask the Father for something that will glorify me when I have told Him right from the start that it is His name I desire honored?
Jesus has not given us a prayer for nonchalant repetition. His teaching us to pray was an intentional, crucial ministry designed to cement our daily dependence on our heavenly Father. That said, the prayer deserves careful learning and thoughtful practice.
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