DAILY BYTE
Today we continue our reflections on the first word of the Lord’s Prayer, which is ‘Father’.
A second insight that arises from this word ‘Father’ is this. According to the teaching of Jesus, in our prayers God must be addressed.
This might seem like an obvious point, but it’s one that Dallas Willard underlines in a compelling way. He writes, “The ‘address’ part of prayer is of vital significance. We dare not slight or overlook it. It is one of the things that distinguishes prayer from worrying out loud or silently, which many, unfortunately, have confused with prayer.”
Now of course we’re free to talk to ourselves and mull over our own thoughts and ideas as much as we want. We’re free to worry out loud or silently, if we choose. But let’s not confuse this with prayer. Prayer is different. Prayer is directed beyond ourselves to another. When we pray we are moving beyond our own little world with our own narrow perspectives. When we pray we are entering into the wide-open realm of God, where all sorts of possibilities exist beyond what we can imagine.
And so, as we address God in prayer, not merely as a force of habit but as a deliberate way of orienting our hearts and our minds towards God, it’s like opening a door and stepping outside into a much wider world, where the agenda is no longer set by us.
Now, ‘Father’ was the particular form of address that Jesus used in his own prayers and in teaching his disciples how to pray. It’s an appropriate and beautiful name for God, for reasons already mentioned yesterday. It’s a name that reminds us of God’s personal, relational character. But we certainly shouldn’t get all legalistic about it, as if ‘Father’ were the only suitable word to address God – because it’s not.
Some people have a hard time calling God ‘Father’, maybe because the patriarchal associations in the word are just too strong, or maybe because their own broken or even abusive relationship with their human father is still too painful. The God whom Jesus called ‘Father’ longs to heal such wounds, but does not need to be called ‘Father’ to do so. God is way bigger than that.
The point is, however we may address God, God must be addressed. It’s what makes prayer prayer. Moving our lives, our circumstances, our concerns, our hopes and our dreams beyond ourselves towards God and the priorities and perspectives God has for us. This is why prayer is such a powerful tool of transformation, because what it is able to do so effectively is to change us!
PRAY-AS-YOU-GO
Lord, it is such good news to remember that we do not have to carry the load of our lives on our own shoulders. Forgive us for the arrogance of thinking that we can, and for the times we have forgotten that you are the God who has promised to hold us and carry us. Release us from our self-obsessions, and help us to look continually to you. Amen.
SCRIPTURE READING
And when you come before God, don't turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat?
Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.
Matthew 6:5-13 (The Message)
