Journeying to Easter - Part 1Sample

The point of prayer

What is the point of prayer? Is it to air our grievances, to say out loud what’s been bothering us, or to make our requests to God? In this passage, it looks like prayer has a lot less to do with us and more to do with God and our understanding of our proximity to Him. It’s made clear that wordy prayers aren’t what God’s after – which isn’t a rejection of our need to talk to Him, it’s a sign that the words we say aren’t what’s important. Our words don’t qualify – or disqualify – us from the power of prayer.

Prayer, as God intended it to be, begins with acknowledging Him. Before we get to what we need, we start with God’s sovereignty. We take note of the plans and purpose He has for the world. Then, under the steady peace that brings us, we present our requests. We couple that with humble awareness of our need for forgiveness and a desire that we’d not make the same mistakes tomorrow. The kind of prayer Matthew teaches us to pray isn’t one of wordy concern or arrogance; it’s one of reverence and trust. May that be the way we pray today.

Written by LAURA BENNETT