HOw then ought we pray?

By James Hoffman

Matthew 6:9-13 (NASB95)

9 Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Devotional

Prior to this passage, Jesus hones in on people expressing their faith like an actor on a stage. They did their religious duties like caring for the poor and prayer in a very public way in order to be seen by others, to look pious to their friends and neighbors. In this Jesus is suggesting that true religion is one that not practiced explicitly in public, nor is it one explicitly practiced in private either. It's when faith is directed towards God alone, when one does not care whether they are seen or not. 

In this context Jesus gives what we now call "The Lord's Prayer." This serves as a great model for prayer. It all centers around one central idea: submission. You start by praising God, then affirm that His will should be done, not yours, and all you actually ask for is that your base needs be met and that you be forgiven of what you've done wrong. It then finishes by asking God to help you avoid evil, which is to admit you are too weak to do it on your own. 

Prior to this Jesus condemns those seeking praise and admiration from others for their piousness, because those people are not worshiping God. Neither are you worshiping God when you treat Him like a vending machine. In both instances it's all about you. If you give and pray very publicly, it becomes "look at me, ain't I great." Similarly when our prayers focus on whatever is on my mind and whatever I desire at the moment, it again becomes "look at me, my will is more important, these desires are the most important thing right now God." In contrast our actions like giving and prayer should be done regardless of who sees. I shouldn't be afraid to pray before others, nor should I hesitate to pray alone. When I pray, the other people shouldn't even be a factor. Instead my whole attention should be focused on God alone. In that attention it should be focused on Him, and not on myself. 

I submit to God's will instead of subjecting Him to mine, that's what prayer truly is!

Prayer

Lord my God, I submit to your will. Forgive me for always trying to make it about me. May your will be done in my life every second of every day. I live only to serve You. May your will also be done in my family, may you show us what we need to do in order to serve You better. May your will be done in my community, bring up leaders who serve You alone and are not concerned with glory and praise. Amen.