I recently watched the movie "Gravity" and was
overall underwhelmed with the film.
However, one thing that stuck with me was the scene in which Sandra
Bullock's character is alone, cold, losing oxygen, and decides to give up hope. She decides to die. In the few moments before
she changes her mind and decides to live, she goes through a heart-wrenching
monologue, not sure what to say, what to think, how to process her plight. She mentions that she wants to pray, but says, "No one ever taught me how to pray."
Her statement got me thinking... When did I learn how to
pray? Who taught me? How do I pray? For anyone who may be thinking that no one
ever taught you how to pray, this blog is not necessarily intended to teach,
but hopefully it will be helpful to you.
My prayer life began to form before I was a Christian, as is
probably the case for many people, and it has changed and evolved over time. I
remember as a kid praying to God, and it was very raw, lacking much direction,
but sincere nonetheless. The more I have
read through God's word, the more I have gained some understanding of who God
is, and the more my prayers have incorporated scripture. I read God's word back
to Him, not in a "name it and claim it" kind of way, but with
an intent to submit to His word and His will. Knowing God's word helps
encourage my heart to conform to what God's desire is, rather than to ask him
to conform to mine. I also use a model for prayer.
How I pray, simply, is how Jesus taught us to pray in
Matthew 6:9-13. This is much more than just a model. It is a springboard for pouring out my heart
to God, for submitting to him, for needing him openly, and for trusting in his
provision, protection, and peace. Is it "enough" to just pray exactly
what Jesus taught us? Sure, it is what he expects. Also, it is our privilege to
pray so much more. Let me explain. I'll go through each line of the prayer that
Jesus lays out for us and expand on how I use it as a starting point.
"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name"
This is a starting point for worship. Acknowledge that God
is indeed in heaven, that He is holy, worthy of worship, and worthy of our
highest affection. Thank God for what He
has done, what He has made, for His character. Acknowledge your own tendency to
worship other things or people, and tell God that you know He is the only true
source of joy. The psalms are a great source of praise to pray as you worship,
for example Psalm 34:1, "I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise
will always be on my lips."
"Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it
is in heaven"
I usually split this into two sections.
First, may His
kingdom come on earth. I pray for God to bring His kingdom, to be present, to
lead me to be active in His kingdom, to bring His kingdom in my body to heal
me, to bring His kingdom into my relationships to strengthen them, to redeem
His people, to teach us how to love, to show us how to serve. I pray for
friends who are hurting or struggling. I pray that God will change hearts that
are hard, open the eyes of loved ones who don't know Him, to bring His kingdom
in my home, in my church, in my work, in my family. There is no limit to where
God will invite Himself and to where you can invite Him to go. Again, this is
not a mandate, it is an opportunity to talk to God, to invite Him, to direct
your affections to see His kingdom around you.
Second, may His will be done on earth. This is an
opportunity to submit our own will to His will and also to ask Him for what our
hearts desire. Pray for His will in your decisions, in your relationships, and
in your work. What are you anxious about? Tell him. Plead with Him. Ask Him to
prepare you for His will. Ask him for whatever you want. He knows already, but
you will be comforted in sharing it with Him. He will faithfully conform your
will to His.
"Give us today our daily bread"
Pray for God to provide for your needs, both physically and
spiritually, that he will feed you in both of these ways. Pray for his Word to
affect your heart. Pray for what you will eat, thank Him for this provision. Pray
that He will keep you healthy or make you healthy. If your needs are met every
day with little question, it's easy to forget Who is meeting them. Acknowledge
that He is the giver of all things. If your needs are not always met, you may
feel hopeless or in despair. Pray that God will provide and that He will help
you to trust Him, to wait for Him.
"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our
debtors"
This is where I repent for my sin. I lay it all out there.
He cares. He knows. He wants us to repent and to accept His gracious provision
of forgiveness in Christ. He is interested in our holiness. In 1 Peter 1:15,
Peter writes, "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all
you do." We aren't holy! So just admit it to Him. Ask Him to show you your
own heart. Be willing to see it, broken and in need of redemption, and accept
the redemption that God offers. He also wants us to be free from begrudging the
sins of others, of harboring anger or pain. I pray that God will teach me how
to forgive. If I am struggling to forgive someone or something in particular, I
pray for that person or situation. I pray that God will soften my heart, that
he will soften their heart.
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
the evil one"
Just as soon as we repent and are forgiven, we must
acknowledge our wayward hearts again. We know that temptation is always
before us. "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls
around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8)
Pray that god will protect you from temptation. Pray that He will protect you
from the evil one, from yourself, from besetting sin, from "small"
sins. This is an opportunity to prepare your mind and your heart for what the
day may bring, or the night, to ask God to be with you and to protect you.
So, that seems like a lot, right? Some days, this is not a
starting point for me. Some days, the exact words Jesus gives are all I
pray. Some days, I barely get past
"your kingdom come" before I realize I am running out of the time
I've allowed for prayer. The beautiful thing about this model from Jesus is that it's
flexible, it's adaptable, it provides words to say when there are no words to
be found, and it provides structure when the words are gushing out of us
uncontrollably. I pray that you will find it an encouragement to your soul.
