How to Pray-Part 1
Matthew 6:9
Before we even engage in prayer, a spirit of humility and reverence must be established.
The story is told of two men who were walking together through the forest. The one turned to the next and stated, "If you are so religious, let's hear you quote the Lord's Prayer. I bet you $100 you can't do it." The second man responded, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray my soul the Lord to keep. And if I die before I wake, I pray my soul the Lord to take." The first man muttered, grabbed his wallet, and said, "I didn't think you could do it."
While this is a humorous story, truth is that many Christians find themselves searching for an answer when asked the recite the Lord's prayer. Sometimes used as a model prayer, Matthew 6 records the words of Christ as He teaches the disciples how to pray. His prayer wasn't meant to be prayed exactly (as a vain repetition) but as a guide to follow in how to pray. Over the next few days, let's look at each aspect of that prayer and consider our own prayer lives.
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Our Father. God is our Heavenly Father. As such, we are His children, given the accessibility of a healthy father-child relationship. Prayer is only for those who enjoy that relationship through salvation in Christ, as Galatians 4:6-7 points out, "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."
Hallowed be thy name. The first part of prayer Jesus mentions is one of reverence for the Father. Before we even engage in prayer, a spirit of humility and reverence must be established. How we address the Lord shows our hearts' condition.
The term "hallowed" is not often used in our day, but it is a word Jesus used to refer to the act of making holy, consecrating, or sanctifying. While we are given the privilege of approaching God at anytime under any circumstances, we must remember we are still approaching the throne of God Almighty.
To understand the reverence of God, think of how the Israelites treated even the very name of God. Nothing was more sacred to the Israelite scribes than the name JEHOVAH. His name was so holy and revered that scribes would not pen the name. Instead, they came up with four Hebrew letters-YHWH-which was translated as Yahweh, or Jehovah. When you see the name "LORD" in the Old Testament, almost always it refers to this holy and sacred name of God.
Just as the Israelites so revered even God's name, we should maintain a holy level of reverence for the presence of God. He is God Almighty, the Creator and Ruler of all, and He deserves our respect.
How do you approach prayer? Is it through a spirit of reverence for your Father? Being a child of God gives you the privilege of entering God's presence at any time, yet God desires for you to seek Him through a reverenced heart of humility. Before you approach God today, humble your heart and lift high His holy name.
Daily Bible Reading
1 Kings 16-18 | Luke 22:47-71
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