I have heard it said that prayer should be as natural for the Christian as taking our next breath, so why is it that so many of us struggle to maintain a consistent prayer life? Is it because we struggle to converse with someone who rarely responds in an audible manner? Do we even sometimes feel embarrassed, especially when praying out loud, lest we be overheard, and accused of talking to ourselves?
I think the idea of prayer was a bit of a mystery to Jesus’ first disciples too. This is probably why they asked him to teach them to pray. The pattern he taught is now commonly known as the Lord’s prayer, and is used regularly in Christian gatherings as a corporate prayer. Like Psalm 23, it has, perhaps, become over familiar to the point where we can quote it without thinking about what we are saying. Yet, at its heart, it is a wonderful model for those of us who struggle to know how to begin when approaching our Saviour in prayer.
It begins by encouraging us to remember who it is we are talking to. He is our Father. I used to love chatting to my earthly father. I would often sit with him in the evenings, sharing my concerns, and listening to his wise advice. If I could do this with him, then how much more should I be able to do so with my Heavenly Father? I may not hear his responses audibly, but he has some incredible ways of answering my questions and giving me guidance, mostly through his written Word as I read and meditate on it, and sometimes through the wise council of family and friends.
Where is my Father to whom I am speaking? He is in heaven. He is ruling and reigning over all, so he is surely more than able to deal with whatever I need to bring to him. Yet, although he is in heaven, he is also here on earth, because he dwells inside me through the person of his Holy Spirit. We can thank him for that, and invite him to draw close to us as we spend time with him in prayer.
Next, we find the words “Hallowed be Your name.” This is a reminder that we serve a holy God. Even the best earthly parents are only human, and their advice and counsel has human limitations. They do not know everything. Not so our heavenly Father. He, being perfect, also gives perfect advice, which he shares out of his perfect wisdom. We can therefore praise him, and we should take the time to do so. If we are coming into our prayer time feeling low and despondent, taking time to praise will lift our eyes from our circumstances up to the one we are worshipping. When we are faced with his vastness, maybe our troubles will seem a little smaller and be brought into a healthier context.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. On earth, as it is in heaven.” Praying for God’s kingdom to come can have 2 meanings. First of all, we can pray for the return of Jesus, when he will once again stand upon the earth and deal with sin and the enemy once for all. His kingdom will be a place of fairness, where sin has no place, and that’s a day we can all look forward to. However, there is a sense in which his kingdom can come in our lives right now, even as we continue to live in a sinful world. We are told in the Bible that we are no longer citizens of earth, but of heaven. We now live on a higher plane, because we have the Almighty inside us. We have the huge responsibility of showing others what being a part of his kingdom is like, because we are his ambassadors. We take Jesus into every situation we encounter, and through his strength, we can make a difference in his name, bringing peace and comfort to others. That is another way in which his kingdom can come through us.
Heaven is a place where God’s perfect will is always done. It is therefore a place of eternal peace. Doesn’t that sound wonderful! If we seek to do his will here on earth, then we will have more peace in our lives, making them a reflection of heaven, all be it a much dimmer one.
Next in this wonderful prayer, we are urged to ask God for our daily bread. This doesn’t just mean food. I believe it includes all things that are necessary for our lives. It’s okay to ask the Lord for things, as long as we are prepared for the answer to be no. A good parent knows what is best for his children, and remember, our Father in heaven is the perfect parent. We may think something is good and necessary, but perhaps he knows otherwise. He never withholds things out of spite or malice, but he does so for our good. We can ask for things for ourselves and for others, laying them at the feet of Jesus, and leaving them there for him to handle.
The next subject tackled is forgiveness, and this is very important. We need our Father’s forgiveness daily, often several times a day, and it’s so humbling that all we need to do is ask. However, it is equally important that those who seek to be forgiven are also willing to forgive those who have wronged them. WE cannot expect from the Lord something we are not willing to offer ourselves. Unforgiveness can become a snare around our necks. We may feel the person concerned doesn’t deserve our forgiveness, but the truth is that if we hold onto these things, they’ll end up destroying us, not the person we are holding them against. Far better to let them go, be set free ourselves, and leave it to God to deal with the one who has wronged us. At the end of the day, they are a child needing his love and mercy as much as we do. We are all the same in god’s eyes – sinners in need of his saving grace, and praise God when we find that grace and forgiveness in and through the person of Christ Jesus.
As the prayer draws to an end, we tackle temptation and evil – two very real problems in all our lives. The things that tempt me toward sin and distance me from God are probably different from those that tempt you, so this is a very personal area of our prayer life. I think it’s good to be honest with the Lord about our temptations, and ask him to strengthen us against the attacks of our enemy. We literally need him to deliver us time and time again from evil. There will be times when we inadvertently fall into Satan’s trap, and that’s where the forgiveness we talked about earlier comes in.
The prayer ends where it began, reminding us of our holy God, to whom the kingdom power and glory belongs. I love the words power and glory, because they once again focus on the greatness of our Saviour. The kingdom power and glory don’t just belong to him for a time, but forever. He will never change. He will always be God, and he has the whole of our lives in his hands.
So, if you are struggling to pray, maybe begin with the pattern Jesus taught his disciples, and see how your prayer life branches out from there into a wonderful flowing conversation with your Father in heaven.