Matthew 6:5-13
Concerning Prayer
“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “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, may your name be revered as holy. May your kingdom come. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today 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. Matthew 6:5-13 (NRSVUE)
Prayer can be an intimidating experience. Ask a group of Lutherans to pray out loud, in front of a group, and you’re likely to be met with silence and averted gazes.
- “I don’t know the right words!”
- “What if I say the wrong thing?”
- “I just don’t like speaking in public.”
The reality is, there is no wrong way to pray, either in public or in private. I just need to tell God what’s on my mind. No fancy/correct words are required. God already knows what’s going on in my life. Jesus told his disciples that prayer is not a show for others. It’s a private communication with God. He gave them a simple outline (the Lord’s Prayer) that includes praise for God, requests for daily sustenance and forgiveness, and a petition for His protection.
What did Martin Luther have to say about prayer? In a letter to his barber and friend, Peter Beskendorf, he went into great depth on the subject. It was translated and published as “A Simple Way to Pray”. He recommended using the Lord’s Prayer, Ten Commandments, and Apostles Creed as foundations for prayer, taking a small element and expanding on it with four strands: instruction, thanksgiving, confession, and petition. If you’d like to learn more, it can be found at this link:
https://beresolute.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Simple-Way-to-Pray-by-Martin-Luther.pdf
Luther also had the following advice for prayer:
- Keep it simple, honest, and grounded
- “Pray as a child speaks to a father”
- “Let your prayers be brief, frequent and intense.”
Question for Reflection:
- Do you struggle with prayer? Yeah, me too.
Prayer:
Hey God, I’m glad that You are always with me. It sure is comforting to know you have my back. I know you can’t fix all my problems, but I appreciate your care for me. Help me to lead a Christ centered life and share that care with everyone around me. A-a-a-a-a-men.
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