For me, I was really never taught how to pray.  Or, if I was, I can’t remember it.  I do remember wondering about it though.  And, I remember being asked to memorize the Lord’s Prayer, but it was a just words for the longest time for me.  And, to make it worse, I am fairly certain that I was asked to memorize the King James version of the prayer, which makes it even less relatable.

I don’t know if you have wondered about this, but I kind of think the disciples were a little in the dark too.  Jesus seems to have thought they needed to polish up their prayer as well, as He made a point to teach them.

At a high level, before even getting into the prayer itself, context and perspective are so important.  The verses before the actual Lord’s Prayer are hugely helpful in understanding it.

6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The Lord’s Prayer

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when 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.

These first 6 verses all get at this idea that our prayers are between us and God.  It isn’t about praying to be seen.  And, just to be clear, I believe Jesus is teaching about personal prayer here, about having a personal practice of prayer; I don’t think this is talking about how pastors should pray on Sunday mornings with their congregations.  But, in our personal prayer time, we should be removed so as to completely isolate ourselves and to confirm that our only real purpose for our time of prayer is communion with God.  When we remove the temptation to want to be seen, it really puts us into a frame of mind where we can be silent, and be still.  As I am reading this, I am reminded that I used to literally go into a closet and pray...and I thinking that I am about to re-install this practice.  To literally get on my knees, alone, in a position that really only has one purpose - to pray.  Think about how honoring that is to God.  Then, Jesus goes on...

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

And I love this...this is for me!  There are people’s who make me feel like I went to a tier 2 school when I hear them pray...I need Siri and Google to understand their words, I am carried away by the angelic tone of their voice, and all of that.  Prayers like that aren’t wrong or bad...in fact, someone who is a gifted communicator praying like that is just someone using their talent, and it can certainly be God-honoring.  What I am saying is that Jesus teaches us that our words don’t matter.  God wants us to talk to Him like we talk to each other.  He just wants us talking, and as we’ll see when we get into the prayer, He wants us listening as well.

For me, the take away from today is simple - a time, a place, and a position.