Lord Teach Us to Pray

Week 4 Lenten Devotions

Lent Day 19: Wednesday March 10

Theme for the Week: The Lord’s Prayer as a Way to Ask for Help

This week we will be reflecting on the Lord’s Prayer and prayer in general. The Ten Commandments have shown us the ways in which have alienated ourselves from God and the people around us. The Apostles’ Creed has shown us the help that is available by the grace of God. The Lord’s Prayer tells us how to ask for help. When I am teaching students about the Lord’s Prayer, I sometimes tell them that the Lord’s Prayer is the 1-800 number for God!

Passage for the Day: Matthew 6:6-14

⁶ But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ⁷ “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that 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 “Pray then in this way:

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 this day our daily bread.

¹² And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

¹³ And do not bring us to the time of trial,

but rescue us from the evil one.

¹⁴ For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; ¹⁵ but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Reflection:

The Lord’s Prayer is given to us in two different forms in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Today we will reflect on the longer version found in Matthew. Tomorrow we will look at the version found in Luke. The introduction to the prayer gives us an interesting command. Do not heap up heap up empty phrases, thinking that you will be heard because of your many words. Sometimes when we pray we feel like we have to use fancy language or “churchy” language, as if that were the only language God could understand. God wants to hear from us, and God wants us to pray in a way that we understand what we are saying. Familiar prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer give us a structure and the comfort of words that are etched into our hearts, minds and souls. However, God also listens to the words that come from deep within our beings. God hears the desperate cry, “Lord help me”, as well as the simple response, “Thank you Lord for ...” . God wants us to pray, asking for help, guidance or rescue from a tough situation. God also wants us to listen, giving the Spirit time and space to work in our lives.

Prayer Themes: Ask God for help in learning to pray regularly and to listen for the Spirit. Pray that God will deepen my relationship with the Holy One. Pray for all those who do not know how to pray, and for those who have no one to pray for them or to teach them how to pray.