“Pray, then, in this way” (Matt 6:9)
For the next couple
of weeks I want to walk through the model prayer that Jesus taught His
disciples. I plan to pick it apart into little pieces, and just see if we can
find some keys to unlock our prayer lives.
To begin with this
is a model prayer. While I am a firm believer in praying scripture and speaking
to God using His Word, and about His Word, I do not think that Jesus was
suggesting to the crowd on the mountain side that afternoon that they all go
into a dark and uncomfortable place, get real serious, and recite these words
by rote. Many of us can recite this prayer without flexing a single synapse
(is that singular or plural – not sure.) Prayer may take many forms, but I can tell
you one thing, if you are praying in a language you know, you should have your
brain engaged.
Just 2 verses earlier
Jesus says “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless
repetition.” (Matt 6:7) Yet sadly many who recite this
prayer on a monthly, weekly, or even daily basis, have turned it into just
that.
Well, I say let’s
take this prayer back and let’s make it ours! [Tweet this]
My intention is to
take it phrase by phrase and see if we can improve our prayer life. As you look at this prayer, what is your favorite part?
Walk through it with
me, will you?
Thanks for stopping
in today.
Ben
