Who taught you to pray? I am sure it was my mom who taught me. I remember her praying for us when I was young, praying with me to receive Christ, and then praying for me in the kitchen when I was a teenager. “Our most gracious heavenly Father,” she started. I knew heaven was listening when she prayed. Then in seminary, Virtus Gideon taught me to pray as he was teaching me the New Testament. The whole room hushed when he prayed.
Jesus’ disciples once asked him to teach them to pray. They must have seen him praying in the morning and the evening. Growing up in Judaism they likely knew lots of prayers. What was it about Jesus that led them to ask? They never asked him, “Teach us to preach.” They surely saw that prayer was at the center of Jesus’ life and ministry.
We are not surprised to find the Lord’s prayer at the center of the Sermon on the Mount. “This then is how you should pray . . .” He didn’t say, “These are the words you should say.” So perhaps this prayer is a template rather than a mantra to be repeated. In prayer we recognize our relationship with God. He is our Abba, our Father. Though he is near at hand, still his name is hallowed, holy, high above. God is close enough to hear and big enough to make a difference. God is also a King who has a will for heaven and earth. In prayer we surrender to that purpose.
When we are hungry, God gives us food. He also forgives us when we sin. In fact, we pray for God to forgive us the same way we forgive others. So in this prayer we are committing to forgive others. But what about our temptation? God is for us and does not want us to fail. God is not just the equal counterbalance of evil. No. He decimates evil, delivering us from the evil one. When we ask for help, God gives it. Even if we have never asked Jesus to teach us to pray, in these verses he has shown us the way. Now that we know how we should pray, let’s make it the center of our lives.
