Lord, teach us to pray!

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

Your kingdom come, your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13

You can almost picture Jesus smiling when one of the disciples asked him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” –Luke 11:1. You would think that all of Jesus’ disciples prayed and had heard others pray. It’s not as if the disciples didn’t know how to pray. They had listened to countless hours of prayers by the religious leaders. They had even listened as Jesus taught about prayer. However, something finally clicked in this one disciple’s soul for him to voice the question, “Lord, teach us to pray.”

For the first time, this disciple wanted what Jesus had in prayer. Maybe as he saw the simple intimacy with which Jesus prayed, that it touched him so deeply he wanted more. It most likely wasn’t about the words or ritual of prayer but the depth of a relationship that he saw in Jesus when he prayed.

He was probably guilty of the very thing that Jesus had warned them about when praying. Jesus had told them, “when you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.”  Much like our modern idiom, “the light bulb went on in his brain,” he understood there was more to prayer than words only.

“Someone once approached a teacher and asked her how to cultivate a deeper prayer life. “Say the Lord’s Prayer,” she replied, “but take an hour to say it.” (author unknown)

Instead of hitting the gas and going from 0 to 30 seconds which is about the average for repeating the words to this model prayer, you need to slow down and let the prayer be the frame for your requests and worship. The slower you go the less you will see it as a rote prayer but as a life-giving pattern to enjoy communion with God. There may come mornings when you never get past the opening phrase, “Our Father” when you pray.

“The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer about God’s honor and glory. It is a prayer about God’s kingdom coming on earth as in heaven—which pretty much sums up what a lot of Christianity is all about. It’s a prayer for bread, for meeting the needs of every day. And it’s a prayer for rescue from evil.” –N.T. Wright

I am still learning to enjoy the beauty and intimacy of this prayer as the gift of grace that Jesus intended the prayer to be for my life. It may take the rest of my life but it will be worth the journey. Meister Eckhart once wrote that “if in your lifetime the only prayer you offer is Thanks, that would suffice.”

Could it be that the prayer Jesus taught us will suffice for our lifetime? There is nothing that will happen today that Jesus didn’t cover in this simple yet majestic prayer of faith. It is in the moments of intimacy and reverence with the Creator that we are invited to call him Father. We are invited to pray that God’s kingdom comes today on earth just like it is in heaven. How reassuring as we face some of our society’s problems. Jesus said to let God take care of our daily needs instead of being anxious about tomorrow. We can trust Him for our needs regardless of the state of the economy.  We are forgiven and forgiving which brings peace to our souls. We know we will often take the wrong path so we can boldly ask for help!

Don’t rush through the words that Jesus gave us. Slow down so you can enjoy the prayer. Rest in the prayer as you let the Holy Spirit form the words that are deep within you. Meditate upon each phrase as you allow it to shape your prayer requests for the day. Don’t get so focused on the format that you miss being with God and looking into His face.

Lord, it is about you, not about me but you let me make it about me until I finally understand it is all about you! You listen deeply to what I think are my needs even when they sound more like wants. You forgive me, now if only I can forgive others. In a world filled with evil, you wait patiently to guide me home safely. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

God is great,