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What To Say When You Pray | Week 3 | Tuesday

“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name’”
Matthew 6:9a

At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you are pleased to do.”
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Matthew 11: 25-26

Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
John 17:1b-3

“All I have is yours and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” John: 17: 10-11

The Aramaic “street language” word that Jesus used to start this prayer is “Abba” which describes an intimate relationship with his father. Sometimes “abba” has been referred to as “daddy” because of the affectionate intimacy it implies. There are varying opinions as to whether or not ”Daddy” is a correct use of the word.

The word, “Father” can have a difficult association for some of us. Memories of a not-so-great relationship with our own father intrude when we are told to think of and pray to God as Father.

My father had to live apart from my sister and I because of a debilitating physical disease that required isolation and prevented the contact he so wanted with us. He died when I was four years old. Although I never really got to know him except from what other people told me about him, I have this one treasured memory of him that makes me love the word “Father.”

The word that grabs me is “Our”. Jesus shares his Father with us. Perhaps that is the meaning of the intimate, “Abba,”! Jesus isn’t clutching his Father to himself, but wants us to learn to know the love of his Father and he wants us to learn to love his Father with him. We are invited to be included in God’s family with Jesus.

What do you think about and how do you feel when you hear, “Our Father,”? Neither Jesus nor his Father condemn us for our struggles. We can come honestly and ask for help in changing our perspective and learning to receive their love. Go back through the above scriptures. Ask Jesus to help you see and relate to his Father as he does.

What To Say When You Pray | Week 3 | Tuesday2022-01-13T07:58:54-07:00

What To Say When You Pray | Week 3 | Monday

Jesus uses simple yet all-encompassing phrases to describe the person he addresses in prayer. Read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and ponder the four phrases “Our Father”, “in heaven”, “hallowed be”, “your name”. What stands out to you?

  1. Get Honest … What is your current view of God? How do you normally address the God of the Universe? Make a list of the names or ways you tend to approach God in recent days and notice how your words may be heard from God’s heavenly perspective.
  2. Change Mind … Listen for what Jesus wants to say to you about your view of God’s character.
  3. Walk Anew … What step might Jesus want you to take in response to what he’s shown you?

FORMATION CHALLENGE … Find a viewpoint where you can worship God’s grandness and find something small to worship God’s nearness

What To Say When You Pray | Week 3 | Monday2022-01-20T13:08:58-07:00

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Wednesday

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:6a)

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

Do you notice the common thread between these two texts? Jesus speaks of doors in both sections. In the first, Jesus tells his disciples to close the door. In the second, he challenges them to knock on the door. The strange contrast gives us insight into the nature of private prayer.

Jesus is talking about a physical door in the first passage. In most ancient Jewish homes, there would only be one small room with a door. That door represented privacy and seclusion. The second passage seems to be more metaphoric. Together the images suggest a better chance of open communication behind a physical closed door

Prayer behind a closed-door demands a more honest faith; the ceiling cannot be impressed by your eloquence. Either your words terminate in the room, or they reach the ears of God almighty.

Where is your closed door? Remember, the physical closed door is a metaphor for private prayer. Your “closed-door” might look more like a walk alone or silent drive. The point is to find a place to speak and hear unfettered by impression and distraction.

By Aaron Bjorklund

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Wednesday2022-01-12T11:33:02-07:00

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Tuesday

“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” – ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What exactly is Jesus saying here? Does he mean to say the only time we pray is in a private room alone with the door closed? What about the passage that says we are to pray unceasingly? It’d be next to impossible to stay in a closet praying 24/7. What about all the other examples of people praying aloud and in public throughout the Scriptures? Jesus can’t mean we are never to pray publicly, but he does strongly emphasize the practice of private prayer here.

I believe Jesus’ intent in this teaching on prayer is to debunk a few common ideas around religious prayer. He’s helping his disciples learn that prayer is more convenient and more intimate than what they had been experiencing from attending synagogues nearby. Judaism modeled religious prayer as pious, spoken in a sacred language, and best when many others can appreciate your beautifully articulated words. Whereas, Jesus modeled prayer as humble, in a heart language, and best practiced in a place where you can be undistracted from anything or anyone.

Choosing an undistracted rhythm of prayer in solitude is key to connecting with a God who is unseen. And the result of this intentional rhythm is delighting God’s heart as well as tasting sweet delight in it too. But rhythms of intentional private prayer don’t find their way into our life automatically. Often it takes choosing a particular place to pray and create space for this intentional rhythm. Where can you hide away today to pray to your Father who is unseen?

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Tuesday2022-01-10T21:27:17-07:00

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Monday

Jesus uses simple yet all-encompassing phrases to describe the person he addresses in prayer. Read the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and ponder the four phrases “Our Father”, “in heaven”, “hallowed be”, “your name”. What stands out to you?

  1. Get Honest … What is your current view of God? How do you normally address the God of the Universe? Make a list of the names or ways you tend to approach God in recent days and notice how your words may be heard from God’s heavenly perspective.
  2. Change Mind … Listen for what Jesus wants to say to you about your view of God’s character.
  3. Walk Anew … What step might Jesus want you to take in response to what he’s shown you?

FORMATION CHALLENGE … Find a viewpoint where you can worship God’s grandness and find something small to worship God’s nearness

By Yvonne Biel

What To Say When You Pray | Week 2 | Monday2022-01-10T21:24:16-07:00
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