Dear Friends,
This Sunday Jesus’ disciples ask, “Lord, teach us to pray.” We see this in both Matthew and Luke’s Gospel, but in Luke’s they are on their way to Jerusalem, and the pressure must have been in intense. In Luke’s Gospel, too, we see Jesus pray more than in any of the others, so the disciples weren’t just asking for a theory of prayer, they wanted some of what Jesus clearly had.
Prayer is one of those topics that people are shy about discussing. We wonder, are we doing it right, how does it work, does it even work? I could spend a lot of words and time on prayer, as have many in the church, but Jesus offers instruction in under 40 words:
- Call God “Father” (or “Abba”).
- Ask that God’s kingdom come.
- Ask for what you need for today.
- Ask for forgiveness as we forgive.
- Ask to be spared trials too hard to bear.
So simple! Talk to God in personal, intimate terms. Incline your heart to God’s ways. Ask for what you need but don’t look too far into the future. Ask to have a forgiving heart and to be forgiven. Ask for mercy and protection.
I think the main thing in prayer is spending time with God and placing your trust in the One who is closer to us than we are to ourselves. It’s tempting to treat prayer like a vending machine at times, but, really, it’s a conversation, a deepening into relationship and trust.
I pray we each can learn to pray with the trust of Jesus.
See you in church!
Faithfully, Suzanne
P. S. A favorite poem about prayer:
Praying, Mary Oliver
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.