LORD, TEACH US HOW TO PRAY
The Lord`s prayer is not only just a prayer but the best model or structure on how to pray as a Christian. The Christian life is a spiritual life that has its source in perpetual prayer. That is, the Christian life is prayerful. The Bible enjoins us to pray unceasingly, 1 Thess. 5:16-18
There are four fundamental questions that Jesus addressed in teaching his disciple how to pray.
1. What is prayer?
2. How can we pray?
3. Why do we pray?
4. Why are some prayers no answer?
WHAT IS PRAYER?
While there may be many definitions and descriptions of prayer. Simply, prayer is the lifting up of our spirit, mind and body to God. It is a mindfulness consciousness in the presence of God. The Christian prayer is the humble acknowledgement and dependence on God and for His divine will to be done in our lives.
However, prayer is the only habit we can never get used to. Unlike every other habit that comes and stays, prayer needs time, constancy, persistence and discipline.
HOW CAN WE PRAY?
The best formulae for prayer is Jesus` structure of the Lord`s prayer: Our Father. In this prayer format we have:
1. Recognition, acknowledgement and acceptance of the Divine Fatherhood of God over us.
2. We praise, honour, worship and adore the Most Holy Name of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
3. We accept the establishment of his kingdom and reign with us and among us.
4. We recognize and submit to his Divine Will upon us over and above our will, desire and wishes.
5. We ask for or beg for our daily bread and needs including the needs of our brothers and sisters.
6. We plead for the forgiveness of our sins, failures, shortcomings and negligence.
7. We also recognize we need to forgive others for the sins, failings and wrongdoings among us.
8. We ask for the grace not to fall into temptations, errors, spiritual laziness or presumptions.
9. Finally, if there are schemes and plots of the evil ones against us. God should always deliver us as he has always promised.
In a nutshell, this is how we should always pray by praise, honour, submission and then petitions for our daily needs. It is most important to note: that prayer is not a device for eliciting health, success or other favours from some celestial vending machine. That is not Christianity.
In other words, prayer is not a magical wish or willfulness of lovely and illusionary thoughts. It is not emotionalism or ritualistic formula. It is a conscious and humble submission of our helplessness before the will of God.
WHY DO WE PRAY?
The late Spiritan Ancestor, Professor Ekwunife wrote a book titled: What will be will be: why pray? In as much as this sound pessimistic, we are called to reflect on why we pray. Yet, we ask: why do we pray – if God knows what he is going to do?
Surely the means God uses to do what he does is our prayers. Our prayers and praises add or take nothing from God. However, they are beneficial to us for spiritual and material wellbeing. Praying is reclaiming God’s promises to us since the creation, salvation and sanctification.
WHY ARE SOME PRAYERS NOT ANSWERED?
Most often we think our prayers are not answered by God. When the issue is that we are not ready or disposed to accept the answer given by God. God always answered us but according to His divine plan for us. The assurance of Christ to us is to ask, seek and knock and it will be granted to you.
Equally, if our prayers are not answered, it is because there are obstacles against them like:
1. Unconfessed sin. (Isaiah 59:1-2).
2. An unforgiving spirit. (Mark 11:25).
3. An unbelieving heart. (James 1:6-8).
4. Improper motives. (James 4:3).
5. An alienated marriage relationship. (1 Peter 3:7).
6. The sovereignty or will of God. (Romans 9:15-16).
7. Impatience. Hebrews 6:12
8. Ingratitude, Philippians 4:6
OUR THEME
The main themes of today’s readings are the power of intercessory prayer, the Our Father as the ideal prayer, and the need for persistence and perseverance in prayer with confident faith and boldness. In short, the readings teach us what we pray and how we pray.
FIRST READING: GENESIS 18:20-32
The first reading, taken from the book of Genesis gives us the model of intercessory prayer provided by Abraham in his dialogue with God. Abraham interceded on behalf of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, whom God threatened to destroy for their sins.
Abraham besides being bold, courageous and confident before God’s mercy and kindness. He showed perseverance.
SECOND READING: COLOSSIANS 2: 12-14
The second reading, taken from Paul’s letter to the Colossians 2: 12-14, although the topic of prayer is not directly related, reminds us of the need for perseverance in living faith in Christ, which is the basis for all prayers.
Like Jesus in the Gospel Paul taught us to do away with the greatest obstacle to a praying lifestyle: SIN.
THE GOSPEL: LUKE 11:1-13
In the Gospel of Luke 11:1-13 passage, after teaching a model prayer, Jesus instructs his disciples to pray to God their Heavenly Father with the same boldness, daring, intimacy, conviction, persistence and perseverance Abraham displayed and the friend in need in the parable employed.
He assures us that God will not be irritated by our requests or unwilling to meet them with generosity. Jesus taught his disciples who desired to learn how to pray the model of all prayers: Our Father, and its formula to: ASK, SEEK AND KNOCK, to get an answer. Reminding them of the need for discipline, time, and persistence.
SOME BASIC POINTS:
1. Prayer is essential for the Christian life and family life. Daily prayer will help each one of us to live a true Christian life.
2. The Lord´s prayer is a brotherhood prayer that invites us to be conscious of our common identity in God as brothers and sisters.
3. Prayer is the only habit we cultivate and does not adhere to us perpetually like any other habit cultivated over time in our lives. We must make a conscious effort to pray.
4. Our Christian life is not just about asking God for our daily needs. It is also a call to pray for those in need.
5. THERE ARE FOUR EXCUSES FOR MODERN CHRISTIANS NOT WANTING TO PRAY:
a. We are too busy. Often, the first thing a busy Christian leaves is his life of prayer.
b. We don’t believe that prayer does so much good. it gives us a psychological motivation to be better people, as well as establishes us in perpetual connectivity with God: the source of our power.
c. We believe that a loving God must provide and protect us from the disasters of life, such as illnesses or accidents, without asking. Prayer expresses our awareness of our need for God and our dependence on Him.
d. We think prayer is boring. People who use this excuse forget the fact that prayer is a conversation with God. You cannot have a close relationship with anyone, including God, without an ongoing and intimate conversation.
OUR PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ teaches what and how to pray in a midst of the world that grows cynic about spiritual life and silence. Especially, as our society concludes that prayer does not work and resorts to sex, violence and unhealthy addictions that result in broken marriages, broken families, psychological problems, moral decline, spiritual poverty, public order problems and prison populations.
Help us to pray for ourselves and others. Lord may the need to pray and depend on you be our greatest splendid desires in us, and yet about praying and prayer, we are weak. Help us to cultivate the discipline of praying through; asking, seeking and knocking at the door of heaven always. Amen
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