Prayer
Why do we pray?
Jesus said, “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” - Matthew 6:7–15
Most of the time, we pray because we need God's help with something.
There are three things Jesus teaches us to pray for. They are for sustenance, our daily bread, for forgiveness, and for help being rescued from the evil one.
When we are hungry, we will do whatever it takes to get food, so it is important to avoid hunger as much as possible.
It keeps us from falling victim to evil, which Jesus knows will happen to us, so he tells us to pray for forgiveness.
There will be times when we stumble and fall away from God. By asking God to restore us, we wipe those times away from our memory and His.
But in seeking forgiveness, Jesus wants us to be forgiving also. If we do not forgive, he tells us, we will not be forgiven.
So, we must model what we hope for from God.
We should treat people the way we want to be treated. We should share our food with those who are hungry and drink with those who thirst.
We pray for the strength and courage to be as loving and compassionate as God is toward us, even though we know we will never be able to reach the same level.
Just wanting to be free of want, free of fear, free of guilt, and free of pain is enough. Seeking these things for ourselves will help us find them for others, if we have compassion.
If we don't feel for others, and only feel for ourselves, we may find our prayers go unanswered.
More to come...