The basis of having a relationship with someone is connecting with them and talking to them. Prayer is one of the most precious and basic expressions of our relationship with God. While we may know the importance of prayer, it’s not always easy to put into practice. Part of the reason for that may of course be the fact that we can’t sit in a coffee shop with God and talk to him face to face.
It’s helpful then, to look to those who could talk to Jesus face to face while he was on earth. When Jesus’ disciples asked him about how to pray, he gave them the prayer we find in Matthew 6:9–13. This is how Jesus taught them to pray. This prayer is for us to pray too.
It’s also helpful to look at the contrast in the context here. Just before the Lord’s prayer, Jesus tells his disciples about how NOT to pray. He tells them to not pray for show, like the Pharisees do. (Matthew 6:5) Their performance shows that there is no relationship with God, it’s all a show to further their status with people. He also tells them to not “heap up empty phrases” thinking that their many words, prayed in the right formula and sequence, will somehow coerce God into answering. Prayer is not a show and it’s not an anxious, desperate manipulation of God. It is an expression of our dependence on our Father in Heaven.
I have found many joys in praying the Lord’s prayer regularly and many reasons to pray it.
- It gives you words to pray when you can’t find words to pray
There are times in our Christian lives when we can’t find the words we need to speak to our Father. Whether we are tired, discouraged or spiritually dry, we sometimes find silence in our heads when we try to talk to our Father in Heaven. Using the words to the Lord’s prayer means that you can say meaningful, true things to God, even when you feel like you can’t get to any meaningful, true words on your own. The joy of being of Christian is that we can know that God is true and real, regardless of how we feel about him. Us having nothing to say to him does not diminish His worth. Praying the Lord’s prayer goes some of the way to give him his due honour with our words.
- It focuses your mind when you are feeling too unfocused to pray
Many of us know the Lord’s prayer off by heart. This is a great help when it comes to praying the Lord’s prayer. When our minds are a million miles away, we still need to pray. Praying the Lord’s prayer and using it as a guide when we are unfocused means that we have a structure to follow. It means we are more likely to pray because our prayers have direction. Life will give you many reasons to feel too unfocused to pray: the chaos of the newborn years, mental ill health, or the demands of an especially busy season at work. Times like this are when we need prayer all the more! Use the words the Lord Jesus gives you to pray when you are too unfocused to pray otherwise.
- It means that you pray for the priorities
Very often, our priorities do not line up with the priorities of Christ. When we pray for the Lord’s prayer, we know that we are praying for the things that Jesus says are important. It means that we are spending meaningful time in prayer. We will be praying in line with his will. It will also align our own hearts and minds with what should matter the most to us. The structure and order of the things in the Lord’s prayer also help us to set our mind on God and on him being glorified. Praying first about what should come first spiritually helps us correctly prioritize our own needs.
- It reinforces God’s daily grace
Regardless of the type of day you’ve had, praying the same prayer every day reminds you that you can only come before the Father on the merit of Christ. If you have had a wonderful day as a Christian, you pray “Our Father in heaven…” If you have had a day of complete failure as a Christian, you pray “Our Father in heaven…” His words are sufficient for our greatest successes and worst failures. It reminds us that we live only by His grace. It takes us back to the mercy of God, dealing with any crushing guilt or self-righteous pride. We don’t ever move on from the cross and praying the Lord’s prayer is a beautiful way to reinforce that.
- It gives you a corrective to how you view yourself and how you view God
One of the many benefits of daily calling God your Father, is that it trains you to think of God as your Father. Jesus could have instructed us to call God many other, true things: Righteous Judge, Creator or King, but instead he tells us to address God as Father. Not only is he our Father, but he is our Father in Heaven, reminding us of his status and holiness. It also reminds us of his Lordship over all. He’s not just God of my neighbourhood, or God of my people group. He is the Father in Heaven whose Kingdom is ultimate. Why would we not call on Him for help?! It also puts you in your right place under his rule. Once you have spent so much time putting Him in His rightful place, you find yourself naturally oriented to place yourself humbly under his hand and his care.
It’s valuable to pray this prayer with your children. Make sure that they know that this is not something that you have to say perfectly word for word or else God won’t answer. Rather, it serves as a window into his character. We only ask someone for something if we know they can help. They ask their teacher for help, because their teacher has the power and willingness to help. Same with God. Just the fact that we can ask him anything should warm our hearts and make us eager to talk to him. Your children can look at the Lord’s prayer and identify all the things that God is able to take care of.
I encourage you to make praying the Lord’s prayer part of your daily relationship with Him. There are so many other benefits. Prayer is an essential part of our walk with the Lord and we should use any tools He gives us to help us pray. The Lord’s prayer is one of those precious tools.
Thanks for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful. Please send me any feedback, comments or questions that you may have. I would also like to hear if there are any topics that you would like me to deal with in the future. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.
Bye for now.
