PATTERNS and PRACTICES

 

FEBRUARY 7, 2024

Matthew 6:7-13

7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as  the Gentiles do, for  they think that they will be heard  for their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9Pray then like this:

 “Our Father 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  lead us not into temptation,

but  deliver us from  evil.

 

Philippians 4:6

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

 

I was thinking that part of making space for what matters would to attend to the development of some Spiritual Habits. Before I go on, I want to be clear that developing spiritual habits is a gradual journey. Do not think that if you make a decision to develop some space for a spiritual practice that you will get it perfect from day one. Prayer is a great example. You may determine today to give more space to prayer in your life, and tomorrow might be one of those days when you are distracted from prayer, if so, that’s part of the journey of developing spiritual practices. In fact, historically prayer was part of a category called “Spiritual Disciplines” and that word discipline is important. It is learning to give space to a helpful practice.

Think of athletes at the top of their sports, they arrived there by learning the discipline of practice, I have heard them talk about the difficulty of staying disciplined, that distractions are always there for them, but they learned over time that as they stayed with the regiment it no longer was as difficult and distractions could more easily be set aside because of the benefits to them and their teammates.

 

So today let’s think about Prayer as a practice we want to make space for.

Prayer simply means talking to God, and then listening to Him. When Jesus responded to his disciples request to be taught how to pray, Jesus said to them, “When you pray…,” that sounds to me like, Jesus knows the value of this practice and that He expected his followers to pray, too. That’s why he set such an example of prayer in his own life. Prayer kept him connected to the source of his authority and power, God himself. It will do likewise for us.

I will admit to you, becoming comfortable praying may take practice, but that doesn’t have to keep us from confidently pursuing intimacy with God. Our creator is always waiting for us to draw near to him, to recognize his presence surrounding us, he loves us completely, know us oh so well, and there is nothing we can say to Him in prayer, that would ever change that, or could ever stop Him from loving us.

Perhaps to start making prayer space a daily occurrence, we might remember that it is easier to grow spiritually when we are honest with God about our, struggles, questions, or our growth. Is there anything that stops you from talking to God regularly? Then talk to God honestly about that. I promise you, there will not be any lightening bolts heading toward you. God understands that we are on a journey with him, and life can just get the best of us sometimes. When we talk to God honestly about how we are doing, we will start to be reminded that God truly is with us, and that our loving God delights in being with us.

So today, what if we take some time to have an honest conversation with God. Even if that conversation begins with, “God, I don’t know how to pray, this feels awkward.” That’s a prayer, that is talking to God. Or maybe your prayer begins with “Why God, does life seem so hard. I cannot seem to get a break.” That’s a prayer, that is talking to God. Then keep your ears open for God to speak to you. The bible talks about God’s spirit and our spirits connecting, that God’s spirit speaks to our spirit telling us we are his, we are loved, we are his precious treasure. God also may speak through the bible’s words, so listen to what you read. God may also respond to your prayer through others, family member or friend. Well, the point is God speaks, so perhaps we pray something like this,  “God help me to hear your voice over all the many others trying to get my attention.”

If you’re not sure what to pray about, you might try praying through the Lord’s Prayer and then make it your own, personalize it.

Here is an outline of the Lord's Prayer that I have found useful in my "Space for God". 

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. . . .

[prayers of adoration and thanksgiving]

Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. . .

[prayers of longing for God’s shalom]

Give us this day our daily bread. . . .

[prayers for the needs of the community]

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. . . .

[prayers for interpersonal reconciliation]

And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. . . .

[prayers for the world and for personal struggles with temptation and evil]

For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.

based on Matthew 6:9-13