Prayer was an integral part of Jesus’ life. Dr. Luke tells
us that Jesus “would withdraw to deserted
places to pray (5:16).”
At other times, he “went
to the mountain to pray;” and that he would spent the entire night in prayer (6:12, 9:18).
· Jesus prayed before he chose his apostles (6:12-16).
· Jesus prayed when he fed the 5000 persons with
only meager resources (9:16).
· Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before he died (22:39-46). That night he struggled with
God over whether he needed to die. Luke tells that, “...his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down upon the
ground.” An angel was sent from heaven to strengthen him in his
agony.
· Jesus prayed from the cross itself (23:34, 46), that God would forgive those who were crucifying
him, and that God would receive his life into God’s safekeeping.
Prayer was an integral part of Jesus’
life. Dr. Luke tells us that one day Jesus’ disciples witnessed him in
prayer. They asked him to teach them a prayer, just as John the Baptist had taught
his own disciples a prayer. That prayer which Jesus gave his disciples, we call
“The Lord’s Prayer.”
You probably noticed that when I read the gospel lesson this morning, that Dr. Luke’s
version of the Lord’s Prayer is different from the version in Matthew’s gospel that we usually pray. In fact, in Matthew’s gospel, even the setting for the giving of the Lord’s Prayer is
different. The reason that we have two distinct versions of the Lord’s
Prayer is that each version developed out of the worship life of their separate congregational settings.
When Jesus gave them the Lord’s Prayer, that prayer expressed what he believed,
and what his disciples were to be about in the world. In those few simple and
direct words—and in the following parable—Jesus taught his disciples and us:
1. WHAT TO PRAY
2. HOW TO PRAY
3. THE PROMISE OF DILIGENT PRAYER
JESUS TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES WHAT TO PRAY. It is to serve as a model for all of our prayers
to God. He said that we are to pray:
“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.”
John Calvin reminds us that when we call God “Father”—that we are addressing him as those who have been adopted as his children through
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. To call God “Father,” is
to express our trust in his goodness toward us his earthly children.
Further, for us to pray, “hallowed be your name,” is for us to acknowledge
that there is a force outside of us, and beyond our control—a force whom we call “God.” It is to acknowledge that this God is the center of the universe and that God sets its agenda.
Further, for us to pray, “hallowed be your name,” acknowledges that God is Creator and we are mere creatures. We are simply one part of his creation. God is not a
bigger version of being human—the so referred to “man upstairs.” Rather,
God is unlike anyone or anything in all of heaven and earth. God stands outside
of creation, and yet God yearns to be in communion with his creation, and in particular with his human creatures.
To this “One,” who is wholly other, we creatures cry out for him to provide
for our most basic needs in life. Jesus has given us the assurance that as God
provided daily manna to feed the Hebrews as they wandered in the wilderness, likewise that God will provide for our daily
needs.
Finally, for us to pray the Lord’s Prayer, it is to declare that God has expectations
of us. For us to pray, “... forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us” is not for us to say nice sentimental
words. Rather, these words spur us on to forgive others as God has forgiven us.
His forgiveness has set the standard for our forgiveness of others.
The Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus taught his disciples, has remained central to the
life of the Church for 2000 years. Martin Luther said that it most perfectly
expressed Reformed theology. It is the central prayer of our faith.
JESUS TAUGHT HIS DISCIPLES HOW TO PRAY? When Jesus finished telling the disciples what to pray, he could see that they all were very serious. They all wanted to remember to say each of the words in just the right way, so that the prayer would be
pleasing to God. They felt that such a prayer must be approached with precise
strategy and holy sounding words. “Not
so,” said Jesus, “let me tell you a story.”
Suppose you have a friend that come unexpectedly late at night. You friend has been traveling at night to escape the heat of the day. It
has been a long journey. He has not had anything to eat all evening, and he is
hungry and exhausted. What are you going to do? You
are going to give him a good meal and a soft mat so that he can get some sleep. That
is just what friends do for one another! The disciples began nodding their heads,
for they knew that is what friends do for one another. Perhaps they had done
the same for their friends.
However, there is a problem. You don’t
have anything in the house to serve your friend! Your refrigerator is empty, and the pantry is bare. All the stores are closed. You are embarrassed. What are you going to do? You are going to run next door
to your neighbor—one who also is a friend. By that time of night, your
friend and his family would be asleep in their one room home. In that small home,
there would be mom, dad, several children, half a dozen chickens, a dog and a goat. They
were all sleeping together in the same room in order to stay warm.
Therefore, you start pounding on your neighbor’s door, asking for at least some
bread to serve your guest. What is your neighbor who is a close friend going
to do? He will get up, step over his children and animals, light a small oil
lamp, and pull back the heavy bolted door. He then would hand you some bread.
He would hand you the bread, not because you are such good friends. He will hand you the bread because your pounding on the door was going to wake up the whole household. Then everyone (mom, children, chickens, dog and goat)—everyone and everything
then would be up for the rest of the night.
Jesus finished the story—and yet the disciples still looked so serious. Jesus saw that they just didn’t get it. They just couldn’t
perceive what Jesus was trying to get across to them. A friend is someone you
simply enjoy being with. A friend is someone whom you can talk to about anything. A friend is someone you can share your
hopes, dreams, and even your fears. A friend even accepts you when you make a
fool of yourself. That is what a friend is like! Such
a friend, even in the middle of the night would get up, and give you some bread—not because you were making a ruckus
at the door—but because you needed the bread!
Moreover, that is what prayer is about. Prayer is about being able to
talk over your life with your best friend—to even being willing to stumble over words in your prayer, and at times not
even knowing what to say to God. Prayer is like talking with your best friend.
JESUS GAVE HIS DISCIPLES A PROMISE ABOUT DILIGENT
PRAYER
He said for them to keep talking with God—keep asking, knocking,
and searching. Stay engaged in the conversation.
Moreover, God always will answer you back. President Jimmy Carter
once put it this way, God answers our prayers in one of three ways, “Yes, No, and Not yet.” Many times when we want God to
give us something now, on our own timetable--however God’s answer comes back, “Not
yet.”
Nevertheless, keep praying, said Jesus. For
prayer is that conversation takes place during that interim time—the time between the feeling of the need, and the fulfillment
of the need.
Moreover, often, when we are in diligent prayer for something to change—we discover
that the situation does not change—but rather that God changes us in the ways that we relate to the situation.
God therefore often answers our prayers
in ways that we have not conceived. John Calvin therefore reminds us “in every prayer we should be careful not to desire
to tie God to any certain circumstances, or decide for Him, or establish or limit the time or place or fashion or manner of
doing or accomplishing what we ask...but to leave and submit everything to His good pleasure...” (Institutes…,
1541 French Edition, page 492).
Celie, in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple, discovered that she had been
changed as the result of her conversations with God. As a child, she had been
repeatedly raped by her father. She had been separated from her children and her sister.
She had been sold in marriage to a hateful and abusive husband. Celie discovered that the only way for her to find any grounding in her life, was for
her to write letters to God. At first, those letters were written to the god
that she saw as a “big white man” in the sky, and therefore not her ally.
However, she persisted in writing to God and seeking some sign of hope for her life. When her friend Shug told her that God is neither white nor male, Celie’s relationship with God began to blossom. She
was freed to pursue the life of which she previously had only dreamed. Celie’s
sister, Nettie, likewise discovered God’s dream for her life—and as a result, she became a missionary to Africa. Both of these women
were bold enough to stay engaged in their prayer life with God—and through that prayer life, they discovered God’s
glorious dream for their lives.
Likewise, as we remain engaged in conversation with God through our prayers—we
too can discover God’s glorious dream for our lives.
