HOW THEN SHALL WE PRAY?
Jesus answers this question in Matthew 6:9-13 by giving us what we now refer to as, “The Lord’s Prayer.” He said, “Pray like this: Our Father Who is 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 forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and forever. Amen.”
I’ve read books on prayer and have heard the Lord’s prayer broken down into 4 parts, easily remembered by the word ACTS:
A - Adoration
C - Confession
T - Thankfulness
S - Supplication
I have used this format in my journaling, only because it helps organize my thoughts. However, sometimes things like this may make it seem like if we follow this outline and pray in this way, we will be doing it “right” and God will then hear our prayers. Again, I’m totally a recipe girl and I love any step-by-step process for doing things the “right” way, (especially when it comes to pleasing God!) but this feels more like “religion” than “relationship” to me… and religion kinda scares me. (Matthew 6:5)
Okay… relationships do too a lot of the time!
But, I don’t think God wants our relationship with Him to be scary… or prayer to be done out of fear or obligation. I know I don’t want MY kids to have to think about some formula for how to speak to me when they come to me with an issue or request. Obviously I’d like them to be respectful, but that comes from a place of love, not some rule-based list of do’s and don’ts they must refer to before approaching me.
To me prayer is a conversation with someone I love. In my heart and mind, I’m talking to my Beloved… my Dad… my Mom… my Best Friend … not some distant deity who has little time or regard for me or my problems. (Psalm 8:4) Yes, He is the Creator of the Universe, (never to be forgotten – hence the “Hallowed be Your name” part!) but He is also the One Who loves me (ME – not just some random human who is a part of the human race and therefore MUST be loved by default… but ME specifically,) and He so desperately wants to spend the rest of eternity with me that He gave up everything to make sure that happened. (John 3:16-17) I’m talking to the Maker and Lover of my soul. (Psalm 139:13)
And that’s Who He is for YOU as well.
Therefore, we don’t have anything to hide… because we CAN’T have anything to hide. (Psalm 139:7-8) We don’t have to come groveling before Him like some filthy worm hoping to gain an audience with Him. He is always right here with us and is ALWAYS listening. Even in our sin. (2 Chronicles 7:14) He doesn’t JOIN us in our sin, but He sees every bit of it… and He STILL loves us. (Romans 5:8)And even though He already knows everything, including everything we want and need, (Matthew 6:7-8) He still WANTS to hear from us. In fact, I believe He oftentimes WAITS to hear from us before doing anything, because He wants us to be a part of the miracle that is this life.
More often than not we only start talking to God by using what Anne Lamott (one of my favorite writers,) refers to as her most powerful prayer. It goes something like this:
“Dear God. Help help help help help help help!!”
While this is how I first started talking to God, now I really, really, REALLY want my prayers to be my first line of defense… not my last resort.
I have a very dear friend who always strikes me by how he prays. His prayers usually go something like this, “Yeah God, good morning… it’s me again. Thanks for this morning. The sunrise was really great. Thanks for letting me see another one. Thanks for my friends here. Please help them out with what they’re dealing with. Please give ‘em what they need and not what they don’t. Help us all get through this day, as I know you will, but please let it end well with not too much crap in between. Thanks for how you love us and for all you do for us. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.”
I love his reverent familiarity and no-nonsense communication.
The Word tells us to “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) For me this practice, (and it IS something I practice, because I’m FAR from perfect at it!!) looks something like this…
I wake up and thank God for my husband. “Abba, thank you for the gift of this most amazing man that I love SOOO much!”
I open my blinds and see the sunrise, the pink clouds, hear the birds, see the robins hopping around the grass searching for unsuspecting earthworms and I say, “Thank you, Abba, for another glorious day. Please make me aware of Your Spirit today. Please give me wisdom and discernment, and eyes to see and ears to hear.”
As I start my day at work I say, “Lord, please help me accomplish all the tasks that YOU set before me – not all the ones *I* (or others!) think need to be done, but the ones YOU want me to accomplish. Thank You for allowing me to be a part of Your plan for today.”
When I’m driving through town and I’m following someone who’s actually going the speed limit, or I’m stopped at another red light, I say, “Thank you, Lord for this opportunity to practice patience.” *deep sigh*
When I see a beaten down and weary soul on a bike or pushing a cart with a bulging backpack and several bags of cans to be recycled I say, “Lord, please be with them today. Please wrap Yourself around them and make Your loving presence known to them. Please keep them safe and warm, and guide them according to Your will.”
When I see deep sorrow and pain and shattered dreams in someone’s eyes and I ask them how they’re doing and they say, “Fine,” not wanting to vomit their soul into my lap, I pray, (with them if they’ll let me, or silently if they’re uncomfortable with that,) “Dear Abba, I lift this hurting heart up to You for Your gentle healing. Please reveal Yourself in a profound way in their life right now and relieve some of the suffering… even if it is self-inflicted.”
When I’m in the middle of something and suddenly someone comes to mind who I know is going through a challenging, frightening or overwhelming time right now, I pray, “Father, please be with them right now. Please help them and encourage them. Please let them feel Your presence and know that You are with them, so they have nothing to fear. (Romans 8:31) Please remind them of Your love for them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
When I’m being torn down and judged and ridiculed by someone, I pray, “Sweet Jesus, please heal them. You know the hurt in their heart that is causing them to feel this insecurity and I pray that you would please help them stop hurting, and stop hurting others.”
As I’m sipping my delicious tea or coffee, I say, “Oh, dear God… thank you, thank you, thank you!”
All day, every day there are countless opportunities to pray, which is why we can “pray without ceasing” – literally.
So, Lord, I pray that You would deepen our relationship with You and help us to feel more comfortable with just talking with You throughout our day. Thank You for bringing us back into relationship with You through Jesus… and it’s in His name I pray. Amen.
SCRIPTURES
Matthew 6:9-13 ~ Pray like this: Our Father Who is 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 forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, now and forever. Amen. (ESV)
Matthew 6:5 ~ When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. (NLT)
Matthew 6:7-8 ~ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (NIV)
Psalm 8:4 ~ What is man that You think of him, and a son of man that You are concerned about him? (NASB)
John 3:16-17 ~ For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. (NET)
Psalm 139:13 ~ You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. (NLT)
Psalm 139:7-8 ~ Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! (ESV)
2 Chronicles 7:14 ~ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (NIV)
Romans 5:8 ~ But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NET)
Romans 8:31 ~ What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (NKJV)
1 Thessalonians 5:17 ~ pray without ceasing