Why You Don't Need to Be A Pro to Pray! - Matthew 6

Matthew 6:7-15 "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰ your kingdom come, your will be done,on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹² And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Because I am a pastor I often get asked to pray before meals and on other occasions.  People joke around and say things like, "We need the pro to pray."  While I appreciate the humor, it actually goes against what Jesus is teaching about prayer in this chapter. Jesus says when we pray, we should not babble on but keep our prayers short and to the point.  Why?  Because is it is easy to get too focused on how "good" we pray.  We worry about performance vs. the content and connection to God.

So Jesus gives the disciples the Lord's Prayer.  The beauty in the Lord's prayer is it is simple and covers everything we actually need.  In this prayer we address God and recognize his holiness. "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name."  We pray for his kingdom to come.  God's kingdom is where God rules or reigns, as opposed to the powers of this world.  We pray for enough provision for the day, "daily bread". This teaches us to rely on God for what we need rather than what we want.  It teaches us to live in the present moment rather than worry about the future.

We pray not to be led into temptation and to be delivered from the evil one. This assumes we will face trials and temptations in our daily lives but we fight them with God's power not our own.  Finally, at the heart of the prayer is forgiveness.  We ask for forgiveness for our sin, and as a result of God's forgiving us, we forgive others.  Note God does not tell us to wait unto someone says they are sorry for us to forgive them.  This a commandment.  Forgive others based on the same forgiveness as you have received period.  We often make forgiveness too complicated.

Though we can try different ways of improvising this prayer to keep it fresh, it is a great model.  We add to this prayer our specific petitions for those who need intercessions to deliver them from their specific circumstances. Keeping a prayer journal to remind you of who you are praying for is helpful.  

As you can see you don't need to be a pro to pray.  In fact, when I am in the hospital room with someone who is facing death, they almost always are able to pray this prayer with me and the others that surround them.  It's simple and covers everything they need.

As continue in your new year try using the Lord's Prayer as a model for your prayer life.  It works.