This is the first edition of Red Letter monDays. Over the next several weeks, we will be looking at each phrase of the Lord’s Prayer.
“Pray then like this. . .”
– Jesus, from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9)
Having witnessed the quality of Jesus’ prayer life, the disciples approached their Master and asked Him how to pray. Perhaps they anticipated certain recommendations from their Messiah, ways to insure a quick ride to God’s throne and entice a surefire answer from heaven. As disciples, they awaited Jesus’ answer, fully intending to imitate His methods and words.
If today we could ask Jesus how to pray, He wouldn’t put us through lectures about whether or not we should be on our knees, whether we should pray with eyes closed or open, how long or short our prayers should be. He wouldn’t hand out the latest “learn how to pray” book from the local Christian bookstore or even recommend a nicely packaged book of written prayers. The disciples asked Jesus how to pray; “The Lord’s Prayer” was His answer.
For 2000 years, Christians have been saying this prayer – whether privately at home, corporately in church, or softly in times of persecution. Today, no other prayer falls from the lips of so many Christians. Still, a question begs to be heard: after 2000 years of tradition, do we truly understand the holy and awesome words that make up The Lord’s Prayer? Experience often reveals just how little we know how to pray like Jesus.
Jesus commands us today, just as He did His listeners that day on the mountain to “pray like this.” We are called to rediscover His prayer, to memorize its words, and come before God with similar requests in all our prayers. The world may have changed since Jesus’ day, yet the heart cry of The Lord’s Prayer remains the same. In the next few days and weeks, we will proceed through the phrases of this beloved prayer. Be ready for some surprises! Much of the ground may be familiar, but like walking down a well-beaten path through a luscious forest, you never tire of the journey.
