By the Way: The right way

By Shane Hein on September 3, 2022.

2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.”

— Luke 11:2 [ESV]

The importance of prayer really cannot be overstated as it pertains to a Christian’s life of faith and worship. Though the purpose of prayer is not entirely understood, even by the faithful, there is no doubt that a robust prayer life brings us closer to God and helps prepare us for the rougher times in our lives.

My message today, however, is less about why we pray and more about how we pray. Is there a right way to pray? Is there a wrong way? Maybe there is. However, biblically speaking, proper prayer seems to have less to do with specific wording and technique, and more to do with motive. And motive can only really be known to the individual person engaged in prayer, and to God.

What about those times, though, when we are really at a loss for what to say to God? Well, first, we never really should be at a loss since there is always something, or someone, for which to pray. Even if everything is going fantastic in our own lives, we can shift the focus of our prayer from personal requests to thanksgiving for our good fortune. Or we can take the focus off ourselves entirely and instead donate our time with God to those in our midst who are down on their luck.

The alternative, of course, is to make use of the prayer that our Lord taught us. It is certainly still familiar to most of us, and it covers all the basics: recognition of God’s authority, power, and love, pleas for His will to be done (as opposed to ours), requests for His divine protection from the spirit of evil, as well as for His forgiveness when we do fall to temptation, and thanksgiving for His provision of our daily needs.

The point is that whether we pray by the petitions of our hearts or use the tried-and-true formula of the Lord’s Prayer (or both), time spent in communion with the One who made us, who sustains us, and who has saved us is never a waste of time.

God’s Richest Blessings,

Rev. Pastor Shane Hein – St. Peter Lutheran, Medicine Hat

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