We’re having coffee, you and I. You know I’m writing a book about prayer, so I discern you want to ask me a question. Go for it. I’m all ears. You tell me that you often say the Lord’s Prayer and even an occasional meal-time prayer of thanks. Then you ask, “Isn’t that enough?”
Well, that depends. If you’re satisfied to keep your relationship with God at arm’s length, then you’re good to go. But now it’s my turn to ask you a question. When you pray the Lord’s Prayer, do you dwell on the words you’re saying? Are you cognizant of what you’re actually praying? Or have you said the words so often that you rattle off the prayer without really thinking, like praying on autopilot?
Have you ever driven somewhere only to arrive at your destination without any conscious memory of the actual drive that got you there? This happens frequently for those who drive to and from work each day. Quite a shock when you pull into your parking place and haven’t a clue where your mind was for the duration of your commute, isn’t it?
When I was growing up in Tulsa, we made the drive from the suburbs to our downtown church so often that sometimes we’d get halfway there only to realize we meant to go somewhere else. It’s a little frightening to think how many folks get behind the wheel of a car or truck only to check out mentally. We’ve all done it. It’s a miracle any of us are still alive.
If we’re honest, when we pray the same exact prayer every day without giving it so much as a single attentive thought, we’re not really praying at all. We’re merely reciting words memorized long ago that may or may not have ever held any significance because we’ve never opened our hearts and our minds to their meaning. How pathetic is that? And be assured God is not impressed. He knows our hearts. He knows whether we’re plugged in or just stopping by for a quick tip of the hat in His direction. Matthew 6:7 (ESV) says, “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.”
Oh, dear. I’m afraid I have another confession to make. (If you’re keeping count, don’t. I might have to hurt you.) Despite my journey to learn all I can about having a meaningful prayer life, I have to admit there have been times I’ve merely gone through the motions. More often than I care to mention. I’ve always wondered how the mind can do two things at once. Like reading something only to realize your mind was actually somewhere else entirely. How is that even possible? Happens to me all the time. Especially when I’m reading the Bible. In my head, I can hear myself reading the words on the page. But it dawns on me minutes or pages later that I’ve been consumed with thinking about something else entirely. When the realization hits me, I’m embarrassed, knowing God isn’t amused or impressed. Oh, I’m quite sure He’s used to it, and not just from moi. But once again, I’m on my knees asking His forgiveness.
Even as we pray, it’s also very easy to slide into another bad habit: the mindless recitation of requests—God bless Susie, God bless Fred, God bless Debbie, God bless Ted . . . But let’s be honest. If these prayers are nothing more than meaningless arrows shot heavenward, they don’t exactly represent a heart that’s deeply passionate about these people, do they? Who do we think we’re fooling? I suppose these rote prayers are better than nothing, but they certainly won’t enrich your relationship with God. Let’s face it, if this is your idea of what prayer is all about, you might as well just jot down your list of concerns, then stuff it in your Bible, tell God where He can find it if He’s interested, and let it go at that. Seriously, why bother?
John Bunyan once said, “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” If it’s the desire of your heart to grow in your walk with your Lord and Savior, then you understand prayer must be a purposeful matter of the heart.
When Jesus taught the multitudes how to pray, He prefaced His model prayer with a few warnings, including this one in Matthew 6:5 (ESV):
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.
Did you catch that? Jesus called them hypocrites. He wasn’t fooled by these bragging fakers. Neither is He fooled by you or me today when we pray in any manner that’s not sincere and heartfelt.
Speaking of the Lord’s Prayer, it’s important to remember that Jesus taught us this prayer for us to use as a model. We seem to skip over the first four words in the introduction of this most famous of all prayers. Jesus said, “Pray then like this” (Matthew 6:9, ESV, emphasis added). He didn’t say, “Pray this exact prayer, these exact words,” did He? It’s a guide or outline, if you will, in which He instructed us how to pray. You can be sure He never intended for us to merely recite these words in mindless repetition. Look at it as a template for your prayers.
To acknowledge God’s presence.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
To proclaim God’s sovereignty.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
To submit our needs before Him.
Give us this day our daily bread.
To ask for forgiveness.
and forgive us our debts,
To forgive others.
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
To ask for God’s protection.
And lead us not into temptation,
To ask God to rescue us from the sin of the world.
but deliver us from evil.
—Matthew 6:9-13, ESV
He gave us the perfect formula for prayer. But did you know He also hears your prayers even when the words don’t form on your lips?
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.
For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought,
but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us
with groanings which cannot be uttered . . .
He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
—Romans 8:26-27, NKJV
To intercede means to plead on another’s behalf. When we are worried or confused or so heartbroken that we can’t find the words to pray, Paul reminds us that God’s Holy Spirit will plead on our behalf. He expresses for us what we cannot. On the darkest night, He is there for us. Why? As I keep telling you, He loves you.
Hear my prayer, O LORD,
Listen to my cry for help;
Be not deaf to my weeping.
—PSALM 39:12A