Teach us to pray

DAILY BYTE

We’ve been talking this week about the deep need that we have for others to see Jesus in us and for us to live lives that look like his.

Well, if that is our deepest need, how do we go about filling it? How do we spend our lives becoming more like Jesus?

We look first at how the disciples in scripture searched for the same kind of life. And we find that it was through asking God to teach them how to pray.

When we pray, we create space within ourselves for Jesus to sit, make himself at home, and spend time transforming our wills our desires our needs into his.

As you read last week in the story of Mary and Martha, we are often distracted by many things – we are overwhelmed by demands on our time, energy, and attention, and when we hear this call to praying, I think it’s often loaded with a big dose of guilt.

In pretty much every conversation I’ve ever had with groups about prayer where we’re asked to go around and chat about how we’re doing with our prayer lives, most people started dodging each others’ glances, talking about how they try to fit in five minutes in the mornings but usually get distracted by the washing or the toaster or their late alarms. And a sense of helplessness descends, as everyone seems to be thinking – i know I need to be better about praying, but sheesh – how am I ever going to do it better and fit everything else I need to do in??...

And therein lies precisely the point. The prayer that Jesus teaches the disciples to pray in Luke is one that is very familiar to us. “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”

It is a prayer (with a few other words that we’ve sewn together from other parts of scripture) that we now call the Lord’s Prayer. It’s a prayer that says God your name is holy, and we look to you with awe. Your kingdom is here and your kingdom is still to come, and that’s what we desire. And because of these things we know we can trust you when we ask you humbly for what we need each day. Forgive us when we fail to be like you, as we will forgive others who don’t treat us like you would. And save us from all temptations and desires that might draw us further away from you.

This is a prayer that has the power to turn our priorities upside down – or rightside up. To change who we are and what we think we need so that we learn not to cram our lives full of activities and things that don’t actually fill us. Instead, through such a prayer, we learn to reorder our lives and hearts to make us more full of Jesus. More full of God’s desires for us and for others.

Do you want to reorder your life? Do you want God to help you prioritize your needs and wants? Consider praying the Lord’s Prayer today, and letting it sit inside of you, simmering and working within you all day long.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Amen.