How Then Shall We Pray?
The Bible is a Him book - it’s all about Him. The Bible also happens to be the world’s greatest hymn book. From Genesis to the Psalms to Revelation, every word sings of the glory of God and His marvelous salvation across a fallen cosmos in what is unmistakably history’s mightiest song.
The Psalms in particular are too precious to be read only. These words must be sung, whether vocally, in prayer, or simply as the tune which echoes in your own heart as the day passes by. Let the words of God Himself fill your mind such that they trickle down into your soul like a steady stream, resonating within and without that you are indeed a child of the Father, numbered among His precious little ones and filled with His Spirit. Preach and sing these truths to yourself morning and evening, always “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart” (Ephesians 5:19).
Throughout history, the Psalms have not only served as the Church’s hymnal, but as a book of prayer also. Whether in seasons of want or fullness, wandering or wondering, joy or sorrow, the Psalms have given voice to countless saints along every leg of their earthly pilgrimage. Millions upon millions of voices have found refuge and utterance in the Psalms, producing a mighty cathedral of God’s people throughout the ages, crying and singing and praying God’s own words back to Him in worship. Indeed, there are few examples given us in all the world that are better suited for personal and corporate prayer than the Psalms, the very treasury of King David himself.
In the Gospels, the Lord Jesus provides us with another pattern of prayer, aptly called ‘The Lord’s Prayer’. The Lord’s Prayer appears twice in the Gospels, once in Matthew 6:9-13 and again in the Gospel of Luke, 11:2-4. While these two prayers are very similar, they are nonetheless slightly different while maintaining consistent structure and content between the two. Matthew’s prayer is taken from the Sermon on the Mount and is the longer of the two, while Luke’s account is slightly shorter and recorded as being from an entirely separate account.
Dr. John Neufeld thoughtfully observed that the differences between the two versions of this prayer should be a source of great joy and liberty for Christians. These differences in length and content demonstrate the reality that, within God’s desire for prayer that pleases Him, there exists a certain flexibility within the bounds of the structure that He has given to us. Like the Psalms, we can insert our own words, burdens, and desires into the structure of Jesus’ prayer, while at no point straying from God’s intended will for how we are to address Him.
How then shall we pray? I am indebted to the wisdom and example of my dear father-in-law for the prayer that lies below. Though I have added some of my own words and a section or two, much is drawn from his example and above all, from the example of our Lord Himself. May these words give you strength, utterance, and a renewed zeal for prayer when you find yourself with little strength and even fewer words.
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Our Father, Abba Father, as your little children we call out to you as our Heavenly Father who is in authority over us, and over all. We are as sheep in the pasture of your providence, and we look to you as our great Shepherd - who saves us, leads us, provides for us, and protects us from the wolves and darkness of this world. We thank you for the many good and godly fathers that you have given us here below, but we know that the very best of these men are only shadows of you, our God and Father from whom all good things flow, and to whom all good things point.
You have established the rules and we are never to forget that you, Father, are in authority over all things and to be obeyed with trembling, love, and child-like joy. Give us the grace, Father, to obey you in all things; like the waves of the sea and the stars of the night sky, to only and ever live within the borders that you have sovereignly established for our good. Your will is good, Father, for it proceeds from the wellspring of truth, righteousness, and love that resides in your own heart. Your will is good, Father; give us grace to see it that way, and not easily forget it.
As our Heavenly Father we have experienced your intimacy and love. You are committed to doing us good and not harm, working out all things for our eternal good and your eternal glory. Through faith in the finished work of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we now belong in your presence; for you have adopted us into your family, given us a seat at your table, and made us heirs with Christ, not upon any merit of our own working but solely by grace through faith in Christ alone.
Hallowed be your name, Father. May your great name be everywhere honored and adored and revered by all. As we pray in this way we align ourselves with your purposes and eternal will, submitting to you as the thrice-holy God of the universe. For you as Creator have created us for your glory, to glorify you and enjoy you forever. There will come a day when you redeem all things and your name will be glorified by all creation, with every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus is Lord. May He increase in all things, and may we decrease.
You are sovereign, Father, you rule over all. Thy kingdom come, Father; that time when all the ravages of the fall come to a complete and utter end, when the invisible becomes visible, when faith steps into the light of sight. In that day, when your Kingdom comes, all sin and its effects will end; sin and death will taste death; all rebellion will be decisively settled and stilled; the groanings of creation will sigh no more; violence, wars, and disease will waste away; demonic activity will be forever cast out from the glory of the universe; aging will cease; sorrow, sighing, and every last tear will be wiped away by the touch of your fingers. We pray with expectation and longing for your Kingdom as we live and move and breathe here below with an eternal perspective. Truly, may your Kingdom come and your will be done on earth and in us, as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread. Bread signifies that we should pray for everything that is needed to sustain our daily lives. We do not experience a single need that should not be the immediate subject of our prayers, so we pray for all these things, trusting that you as our Father know what we need long before we do, before the words even enter our minds or leave our lips. We acknowledge and trust that our needs will be met by a sovereign and all-loving God who has promised to meet all our needs and to do so abundantly. Father, we thank you that you are always faithful to do much more abundantly than we can even ask or think. For, all good things come down from above, from the Father of lights who gives His rain to the just and the unjust. Everything we need, from the air that we breathe to the clothes we wear to the very faith that sustains us, are good gifts from you, our Father.
Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. You are holy and we are not. As we confess our treason against you, our Holy God, we are humbled and reminded of your amazing grace towards us. Not a day has gone by where we have loved you with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength, or others as ourselves, and yet we hunger and thirst for the time soon to come when we shall worship and love you, and others, perfectly.
We thank you that though we fall short of your glory, we cannot fall short of your goodness and grace; nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, your beloved Son. We are reminded that our righteous standing before you is not based on our work or merit or anything we have done, but on your grace and your grace alone. For we do not forgive others to merit your forgiveness; rather, we forgive others because you have forgiven us in Christ Jesus, because we have experienced your love and grace and therefore respond with love and grace to all.
And Lead us not into temptation. Not that you tempt us, for you do not and cannot, but we pray that you will keep us from those situations which we are too weak to handle. Keep us safe from the darkness of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and give us grace to be lights in this world while we yet draw breath. In this, we remember your promise to keep us from being tempted beyond what we are able to bear.
Father, we thank you that, though the world is evil, the Lord Jesus has overcome the world; He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and we joyfully submit to Him and await His coming with groans unutterable. Grant us grace to live by faith and not by sight. Equip us to more zealously love Him who we do not see, that we may then more earnestly love those who we do see, until that day when faith shall become sight and all is set right.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the power of your Holy Spirit do we pray all these things before you, Father. Amen.
Photo by Aaron Burden, Unsplash
