Since I began formal ministry as a pastor in June I have experienced how important a committed, regular and sincere prayer-life can be. As a part of my commitment to prayer, I have prayed “The Lord’s Prayer” nearly every day. Some days different parts speak to me in ways they hadn’t before, some days I use the prayer as a springboard to pray for something else and some days it is almost all I can muster to pray.

On Sunday at church we started a 4 week series where we are going to talk about prayer. This past Sunday we explored how Jesus taught his disciples to pray in Luke 11:1-12. There are two beautiful parts to this passage: the first is the prayer we have come to know as “The Lord’s Prayer.” The second part is a promise of sorts where Jesus says even worldly, evil fathers know not to give a child a snake when they ask for bread, how much more than the father.

I could offer my interpretation of The Lord’s Prayer as I did on Sunday but instead, I will simply issue the same challenge I did yesterday: pray.

This week, sit in prayer with God, be still, talk to him, listen to him, know that he is your father and he wants to be close to you. Know that you have all you need in him. Know that you are forgiven through him. Know that you are his child.

As in the model Jesus gave us, we simply ask to be sustained in our lives, to be forgiven and to be led to where he would have us to go.

Hear this prayer:

Our father, we are so thankful for the gift of prayer and how you allow yourself to be so easily accessed, even by us, imperfect as we are. We confess today that we have not prayed as we should. We confess that we have allowed holy prayers to become dry routines without meaning in our lives. We confess that we have not always believed in the power of prayer.

Today, we acknowledge the great power of prayer and prayer with faith. We acknowledge that through a faithful prayer, the world, our worlds, can be forever changed. God, we ask that as we engage with you in prayer this week, that you would meet us. We ask that you would teach us how to pray. We ask that once again the words you taught us to say would have authority in our lives. We ask, boldly, brashly, that you would take care of us.

Father, we know that you are our father and we are your children. What a beautiful gift that is to be the daughter or son of the most high God. We boldly ask as you have taught us, that you would be with us as we go from this place today. Let your great light shine in and through us. Let us be in constant prayer this week as we look to see what things you might do in our lives.

We love you. Help us to love you more and more each day.

It is in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit we pray. Amen.