How Should We Pray?
Do we want to know the best format or the best formula for prayer? Or maybe we desire to make our prayers more powerful. Perhaps we want to know why some people's prayers are answered but ours are not.
Some people may quickly respond: we should say the Lord's Prayer!
Once Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he stopped praying, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.”
Jesus told them, “When you pray, say this:
Father,
let your name be kept holy.
Let your kingdom come.
Give us our bread day by day.
Forgive us as we forgive everyone else.
Don’t allow us to be tempted.”
But some people looking for just the right formula may question this. Should we say the Lord's Prayer like we do in church or like Luke showed us in the passage above? Or should we follow the pattern in Matthew below?
“When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They like to stand in synagogues and on street corners to pray so that everyone can see them. I can guarantee this truth: That will be their only reward. When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.
“When you pray, don’t ramble like heathens who think they’ll be heard if they talk a lot. Don’t be like them. Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
let your name be kept holy.
Let your kingdom come.
Let your will be done on earth
as it is done in heaven.
Give us our daily bread today.
Forgive us as we forgive others.
Don’t allow us to be tempted.
Instead, rescue us from the evil one.
“If you forgive the failures of others, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failures.
Others may question why there's any difference between Luke and Matthew? Some atheistic skeptics may challenge the difference as proof that the Bible is not inerrant and has inconsistencies, but neither passage refutes the other one. We don't know if these were two separate occasions or one event described differently. The important thing to understand is what the Lord's Prayer tells us about how to pray.
Timothy Kellar did a great job describing How To Pray. He shared how difficult prayer can be for all of us, and he clearly pointed out some key points we should understand about the Lord's Prayer. It's worth the time to listen to this podcast whether you are new to prayer or a dedicated "prayer warrior".
Going back to the question: Why do YOU want to know how to pray?
It was scandalous in His day for Jesus to pray to God as Father, encouraging others to the same. It emphasized that God is not some distant and powerful being; He is a loving Father Who desires a relationship with YOU. How are relationships built? By spending time with the other person in the relationship and communicating with that person. How should we pray? According to 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we should never stop praying, and Luke 18:1 reinforces that we should not give up praying. Then there's Ephesians 6:18, which adds that we should always be praying in the Spirit and praying for all God's people.
So will praying in the Spirit make our prayers more powerful? And what does it mean to pray "in the Spirit"? Maybe the question shouldn't be "How Should We Pray" or even "Why Do YOU Want To Know How To Pray"
Why Does God Want You To Pray?
God knows everything. He is all-powerful. God doesn't need anything, but He does want something: He wants a love relationship with us. He created us for love. He knows us, and Scripture tells us that He knew us before we born. He doesn't force us to love Him. He doesn't coerce us to love Him. He doesn't set conditions on His love for us.
Jesus invites us to join Him in the work that He is doing just as the Father invited Jesus to join in the work He was doing. We don't have to join Him; we get to join Him. He doesn't need us to join Him; He wants us to join Him. Why?
Why does He want us to pray? Why does He want us to join Him? By communicating with Him and by joining Him in His work, we get to know Him better. We learn to trust Him more. We learn to love Him and others as we should. It doesn't matter if you know how to pray in the Spirit; His Spirit knows how to touch you as you seek to draw near to Him. Whether you're resting in God's Presence, walking with God on a grand adventure, or joining Him in His work, you start to see His majesty, and you can believe in His love for you.
So how should we pray? Always... as He leads us... as He touches us... in intimate relationship... in a demonstration of love for others... in confidence that He sees us, hears us, and is working all things together for good for those that love Him and are called to His purposes. (See Romans 8:28-29)
There is no formula for effective prayer other than this: draw close to God. There is power in saying the Lord's Prayer, but more power in understanding the Lord's invitation to us in that prayer. So I have also found this prayer to be effective in my life and in the lives of others as I pray for them:
Draw us close to You, Jesus!
Draw us close to You and close our ears to the words of the Enemy,
Our eyes to the messages of the Enemy.
Cleanse our hearts, our minds, and our souls from the echos of the Enemy,
From the lies we have believed,
And fill us with Your Truth and Your Love!
Remove the clouds that keep us from seeing Your Face,
And the noise that keeps us from hearing Your voice,
So that we can see You, hear You, and know that You love us
And that You are working all things together for good.
Thank You, Lord!
