How do we Pray, Why do we Pray, What difference does our prayer make?

 

(Based on Luke 11:1-13)

 

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

I assume since some of disciples had been John’s disciples that they knew about John’s teachings on prayer. In the first chapter of the Gospel of John, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, and another of John’s disciples saw Jesus and asked John who he was. John answered, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” Andrew and the other disciple responded, “see you John,” and ran after Jesus.

How then did Jesus teach his disciples to pray: Jesus said to them, "When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” That’s it: short, sweet and to the point. 

WHY do we pray: we pray to know God’s Purpose in the world, and God’s purpose for us. We pray to know how God meets our needs and protects us, and to know how God can use us to meet the needs of others.             

Let’s elaborate on the why by looking at what Jesus taught them: First you may notice that Matthew’s version (6:9-13) is longer and seems to have been adapted to liturgical worship, while Luke’s version, as mentioned earlier, ‘cuts to the chase.’ For this reason, I want to look at the prayer and learn from it through Luke’s eyes, weaving the how and the why together.

Father, hallowed be your name: the introduction, the reminder that God is Holy; Your kingdom come: God’s Kingdom is Inclusive: Heaven and Earth, “Red & Yellow, Black & White we are precious in his sight.” And as St. Paul, reminds us, “Jew, and Greek, male and female, slave and free.” And I would add, “any other division we humans have come up with in our time on this earth. We truly are praying to help God bring God’s kingdom on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Jesus continues, give us each day our daily bread. This is a two-fold meaning: a reminder that God desires for us to be nourished for today, and that we have a place reserved for us at the Heavenly banquet.

Next, we have a somewhat, to me, confusing phrase: “forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. I do not believe that our forgiveness of others earns God’s forgiveness, but I do believe it inspires us to forgive others and is likely a condition of our continuing forgiveness by God, and our part in bringing about God’s Kingdom on Earth.

Finally: do not bring us to the time of trial: God does not bring us to trials and temptations, but they exist, and we ask God to protect us, now and in the life to come                                                                                                      

Perhaps the most important of our three questions is: What difference does it make? Does prayer protect us from all of life’s problems: cancer, auto accidents, divorce, job loss, or natural disasters? We know it doesn’t, so why pray, what difference does Prayer really make?

For answers, we again turn to Jesus. Prayer in the bible is not only a mystical experience, but also one of the ways we work with God to bring about God’s Kingdom on Earth as in Heaven. God’s purpose for us is health, wholeness, and peace. Life on this planet sometimes prevents this. Jesus’ prayer we just looked out reminds us that we are joined with God and one another through Holy Spirit. Through this prayer relationship we become co-creators and co-caregivers and co-peacemakers with God.