Prayerful Consideration: Pt. 1, Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name

I've decided to dedicate my next few entries on my thoughts on prayer. Praying is something I've struggled with on and off for years, and so hopefully as I gather my thoughts and reflect on the Lord's Prayer I can come to some insight as to why I struggle with prayer, as well as what to do about resolving this issue.

I chose to look at the Lord's prayer for two reasons. The first being that it seems to cover most, if not all, of the areas we pray about. The second, it is the example Jesus gives us on how to pray. So lets begin...

Our Father- We begin by addressing God as Father. I am certain that Christ was very intentional with his choice here of Father. There are many things we could say, such as Lord, God, Savior, Provider, etc., however Jesus choose the title that perhaps has the most intimate meaning. The one that puts the emphasis on God's closeness to and care for us, as well as our dependency on Him.

Think back to when you were a child. Provided you did not have a deadbeat dad, who did not think that their dad was the coolest, strongest man ever? I recall having debates with other school kids about whose dad could beat up whose. Our fathers provided for us and protected us, and even more so, they knew us intimately and cared deeply about us. When sad or hurt, they were there to comfort us. Even the scratch of his mustache when he kissed you was something cherished. It is precisely this kind of relationship, this viewpoint, this mindset of God that Christ is calling us to at the beginning of the prayer.


in Heaven- God, like Heaven, which he rules, is set apart and holy. I don't have much more to say on that.


Hallowed be your name- Now that we have established who God is, our first interaction is to praise his name. So often we take the gifts and glories of God for granted and fail to praise him for all the wonders He has done. It is easy to treat God like a genie, just saying, "God give me this." From there it is easy to get upset when God says, "No." Christ, however has us begin with thanksgiving and praise.

By starting your prayers with praise it reminds us of the goodness of God. It draws us back to how much He loves us and takes care of us, even when we do not get what we ask for. Furthermore it makes it harder to be upset with God, and better prepares our hearts to ask for the things that matter, and put aside selfish requests.

So, someone who is struggling with the discipline of prayer might practice just periodically thanking God throughout the day. Its very simple (as you can see from my last blog) and very refreshing, and you don't even need to ask for anything as you pray this way. This is something I have been practicing myself, and I encourage others to try the same. If it does nothing else for us, at least we are talking to God.

Cheers,
Nathan

Next time: Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done.