The Lord's Prayer

 

[Jesus said] “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when 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. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:5-8 ESV).

 

The Lord’s Prayer (or the Model Prayer) is familiar throughout Christendom. We have the beginning of Jesus’ teaching concerning prayer in our reading today. When it comes to praying, sometimes we might think we have to find just the right words, or to say things in just the right way, for God to hear us. But Jesus shows us that isn’t the case. God is not some remote figure who must be awakened or impressed. There are no magic words; there is no secret formula to memorize to get God’s attention. In fact, God is eager to hear from us, and he is ready to welcome us at any time.

 

That’s because God, the Lord and Creator of the universe, is our Father. He is loving and attentive, and he understands the needs of our hearts. Just as most earthly parents long to hear from their children and grandchildren, so our heavenly Father desires to hear from us.

 

Because of that, it’s safe to come into God’s presence just as we are. We can pray with confidence, even without knowing a lot about our Father, or knowing what to say. We can enter God’s presence in prayer because he wants to receive us and hear us, just as a loving parent wants with their child. God wants to spend time with us always, even when we are emotional or struggling. Our loving Father, who is in heaven, invites us into his presence. To pray. And listen. To have a relationship with him. That’s what Jesus has come to offer.