Some of my friends already know I’m going to talk about the Lord. In other gatherings, I already know the conversation will turn to American Idol, Survivor, and Farmville, with very little variation in what they’ll talk about. But that’s all right; it’s all part of community. When young moms get together, they’ll talk about their babies. Special-interest groups will talk about their interest. This is normal socializing. So God knows in advance what we’ll talk about in prayer – what does that matter? If Jesus encouraged us to pray, shouldn’t that be enough motivation for the obedient disciple?
Jesus’ teaching on prayer in Matthew 6:9-15 helps us understand prayer and our role in it. Jesus told us to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” In other words, we are to address God properly. He is our Father, so we are his children and we come to him on that basis. He is in heaven, and we belong there too, so this world is not our home. Are we really adamant about needing that new toy? Who God is to you will frame your prayer life. An unknown God, like the stranger on the bus or elevator, doesn’t inspire much conversation, does it? How grateful I am to know that God is my Father and I may come to him at any time.
Jesus also taught, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We pray to get God’s will done, to see his purposes accomplished on earth. His overriding goal is to replace the current world administration with the throne of Jesus over all. Is that your desire, or do you want things to continue as they are? God answers prayer when it conforms to his will. He longs to see all come to salvation through Jesus Christ. He wants to see your home thoroughly under the government of Jesus Christ. What an exalted view of the family! It drives me to prayer because I can’t see myself doing this by myself.
Jesus continued with, “Give us this day our daily bread.” This tells me that God does indeed care about what I need in life (Matthew 7:7-12). I am not to take my simple blessings for granted, but acknowledge with a grateful heart God’s part. Before throwing money at a problem, why not take it to your heavenly Father first and wait to see what he will do or direct?
The next part of the prayer is, “And forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors.” God keeps us honest with prayer. Christianity is not an armchair religion; it doesn’t stay in the realm of intellectual philosophy. God demands that we act it out. If we ask for forgiveness, we should be willing to give it to others. If we hold back from doing what we know is right, God will do the same to us (Matthew 6:14-15, 18:21-35). At times, he will treat us according to our own terms! In this part of the prayer, we know that if we have offended God in some way, we don’t try to make up for it, or try to bargain with God, but come to him for forgiveness, naming the sin.
Next, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” In prayer, we plead for protection from the flesh and the Devil. These two terrors are too great for us to battle by ourselves (Ephesians 6:10-13). We need divine intervention. We are prone to leave the God we love, as one hymnal writer put it. We love sin and self; we don’t love God above all. With constant application of prayer, we will be strengthened against sin and help others stand for the kingdom, and further God’s will in our lives.
Finally, “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.” Too often we think life’s all about us and what we want. Prayer, properly understood, gives us the big picture. All that we see will be burned up, and God’s kingdom will be established forever. It helps us to keep our prayers in perspective and aim them where they’ll do the most good, where they’re needed. In prayer, we are coming to the one who has all power. Don’t underestimate him. He can do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think. Though the situation looks impossible to us, with God there is always hope.
Be careful about considering prayer from a philosophical approach. When we participate in prayer exactly the way the Bible tells us to, we’ll gain greater wisdom about it – and reap all the benefits as well!
What Do You Think?
a. Most of us find it natural to readily talk to our friends and not to strangers on the elevator. If we have no inclination to talk to God, what are we saying about our relationship with God?
b. If a friend moves away and you want to maintain ties, you could stay in touch by conversations via email, SMS, same-interest forums, or social networking like Facebook or MySpace. Can talking to God help maintain ties with him?
