READ: Matt. 6:5-18
In this manner, therefore, pray – Matt. 6:9
Our prayer is a precious matter in our dealings with God as our Father. As His children, we cannot and must not live without it. What, then, shall we pray? One of the disciples asked this of the Lord Jesus (Luke 11:1).
The Lord then set a number of conditions: He doesn’t want our main goal in prayer to be making a pious impression on others, like the hypocrites did. Their prayer was not meant as a conversation with the Lord but as a means to be held in high regard. Nor does the Lord want us to impress God by using long sentences and beautiful words, as if God would not listen to you otherwise. When you pray like this, you look like an idle servant. No, the Lord wants a covenant interaction that is personal and authentic in which you expect everything from the Lord and trust in Him.
The Lord Jesus then pointed out the content of a prayer that is good and pleasing to God with the guide of the Lord’s Prayer. Maybe you use it very often yourself. That can be good, as long as you are aware of what you are praying with these words. It can also become a kind of magic formula used out of rote where you no longer think about the content but instead only pray out of habit. That is not what the Lord Jesus intended with this prayer, but rather that you consciously bring before God the things that are really necessary for your covenant relationship with Him.
This prayer is also not meant to be repeated verbatim all the time; instead it is meant as a model, an example for your own prayers. The Lord says, pray in this manner, in this way, with these matters and points of attention. If you pay attention to what is mentioned, you will detect that there is a lot in this prayer that you might easily forget yourself. The order of the prayer is also important: pray for the kingdom first, then for our needs.
How do you yourself use the Lord’s Prayer?
Singing: Ps. 27:4