New to the Faith: How do I Pray?

Part 3: Prayer

For many believers, old and new, prayer feels overwhelming. The idea of approaching the Creator of the universe and speaking to Him feels more than a bit intimidating. I know this from my own personal experience. I grew up in church, so my personal prayer life reflected what I heard in church, which, to me, sounded formal, even stiff at times, and definitely repetitious as I found myself saying “Heavenly Father” several times throughout my prayers (I still do, but I’m making more of an effort to stop saying the same words over and over again).

Several things have helped me in my prayer life. To begin with, studying how the people in the Bible prayed to God. Humble, yet bold, these heroes of faith knew they could approach the LORD with their heart felt prayers. And, that’s the key: heart felt. After many years, I finally learned that God doesn’t want the stiff, formal prayers. He wants my heart. If I’m sad, I know I can bring that sadness to Him. If I’m feeling anxious, I can seek Him for peace. If I’ve sinned, I know I can repent and ask Him for forgiveness. If I want to praise Him, I can pray a prayer from the Psalms.

In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus teaches His followers (and us) how to pray (known as the Lord’s Prayer):

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”

Jesus, Matthew 6:9 – 13 (ESV)

Now, it’s not necessarily the exact wording that is important, but rather the form. Let’s look at the beginning part of Matthew 6:9: Jesus says “Pray then like this:” Notice, He doesn’t say “Say these particular words when you pray,” or “Here’s what you say when you pray.” The New King James Version puts it this way: “In this manner, therefore, pray:” So, let’s look at the form.

Our Father: The word “Father” is an intimate and loving portrayal of God. He is our heavenly Father. When we approach Him in prayer, we can be confident that He sees us as His children because of the sacrifice of His precious Son (see Romans 8:16 – 17).

Hallowed be Your name. Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven: The prayer goes on to worship our Father while submitting to His sovereignty not only in heaven, but on earth as well. It is also a time for us to humble ourselves and surrender to His will.

Give us this day our daily bread: At this part in the prayer, we are asking and trusting God to provide for our daily needs. We recognize that it is He who provides for us and that we depend on Him for our provisions.

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors: This part is a bit interesting in the way it is worded. We are asking God to forgive us of our debts, or trespasses (depending on the translation), which is our sin. But, the second part implies that we have already forgiven those who have sinned against us. A little further down in Matthew 6 (verses 14 – 15), Jesus explains that we will be forgiven if we forgive those who have hurt us. If we don’t forgive, then we won’t be forgiven.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:” Finally, we are asking our Heavenly Father to keep us away from sin and to provide a way out when we are tempted or faced with evil.

Again, it’s not necessarily saying the prayer word-for-word, but rather the intent behind the prayer.

Prayer may feel awkward at first, but the more you pray, the more you grow comfortable with it. Prayer is how we communicate with God, and it is vital to our relationship with Him. Prayer is powerful. If you have any doubts, go read Daniel 9 and 10. If you would like to learn more about prayer and the different types of prayer, I recommend reading Prayer by Timothy Keller. It helped me with my study of prayer.