Reflecting the Image

Scripture:

Matthew 6:7-15

7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,

10  your kingdom come,
your will be done,
    on earth as it is in heaven.

11  Give us today our daily bread.

12  And forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13  And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from the evil one.

14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NIV)

Observation:

Jesus teaches the disciples how to pray, and there are some very salient points here. First of all, He says, “when you pray.” Notice, it’s not “if” — but “when,” which means that there is an expectation that a follower of Jesus Christ is someone who prays. Then, however, He becomes critical of the pagans who believe that prayer has to do with piling up words so that they will be heard.

Prayer isn’t about the number of words that we speak to the Lord. Our Father already knows what we need, so we don’t need to think of fancy ways to pray or somehow convince God to listen to us. Instead, Jesus gives us this beautiful and simple pattern for prayer.

Jesus regularly spends time talking to His Father in heaven, and we are invited to pray to our Father as well. We are welcomed into fellowship with the Triune God, and we begin by recognizing the holiness of His name.

As participants in His kingdom work, we pray for His kingdom to come and for His will to be done here on earth. This is a prayer of dependence. We are not asking God to bless our plans, but surrendering ourselves to His. Your kingdom come. Your will be done.

Then we bring our daily needs before Him. These are our needs and not necessarily all our wants. What is it that we need for today? Give us our daily bread. Again, we are invited into dependence upon Him.

Then comes the section on forgiveness, and this seems vitally important to Jesus because He returns to the issue of forgiveness immediately after the prayer. We ourselves live as recipients of God’s forgiveness, and those who have been forgiven are called to become forgiving people.

Temptation is real, so we pray that we do not fall into temptation and that we might be delivered from evil. We acknowledge again that we cannot live this life in our own strength. We need the Lord to lead us and deliver us.

And then Jesus returns to forgiveness. It seems that when we pray, our hearts should be filled with genuine gratitude for the forgiveness we have experienced and with a willingness to extend forgiveness toward those who have wronged us.

When you pray — these are the things to remember.

Application:

Years ago, our neighbor in Moscow, Timofei Metrofanovich, was just growing in his faith. He was learning how to pray. One day, he and I were going to drive out into the country to pick up his wife from their little summer home, or dacha. I really didn’t like driving in Russia because we were often stopped by the police, or the car would break down.

As we got into the car, Timofei asked if he could say a prayer, and, of course, I said, “Yes.” He pulled out a piece of paper and read a prayer that he had written. He told me that he was just learning to pray. I don’t remember exactly what the prayer said, but I was thrilled that he prayed for us that day.

The prayer wasn’t long. It was short, sweet, and to the point. He folded the paper back up and put it into his shirt pocket.

We hit the road and, I won’t go into all the details, but it was a harrowing trip. We had major car problems — part of the drive shaft fell off the car — we were stopped by the police — and we were fortunate that we finally arrived home. For part of the way, a gentleman whose car had been confiscated by the police helped to drive my car. Again — long story.

When we finally pulled onto our street in Moscow, Timofei looked at me with a gleam in his eye. He said, “Do you think that man was an angel?”

I was too flustered by everything that had happened to have seen the good in any of it.

Then Timofei said, “God answered my prayer today.”

When you pray. It doesn’t have to be long or filled with impressive words. Jesus gives us a pattern, and then, with a simple heart turned toward Him, we bring before Him our needs for this day. Our Father already knows what we need.

Timofei had been the secretary of the Moscow Communist Party under Joseph Stalin. Now he was learning to pray — and learning to recognize the ways in which the kingdom of God was coming into his life.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for the reminder of simple, trusting, daily prayers. Teach me to depend upon You for my daily bread, to seek Your kingdom and Your will, to forgive as I have been forgiven, and to trust You to lead me through each day. Amen.