The Lord did a sweet thing for me the other day. As I was about to wash my hands, it occurred to me: My mom taught me how to do this (I imagine my dad helped, but most of us learn such things from our moms). It warms my heart to think of it: more than sixty years ago, that woman patiently and persistently worked with toddler Rob as he learned how to wash his wee little hands.
Cherishing the thought into my quiet time, and thanking the Lord for it there, a deeper truth percolated up: Not only did my mom teach me “how to wash” my hands, but “to wash” my hands. I imagine these two lessons occurred somewhat simultaneously, but one would have been useless without the other. We must learn “to do” something before we learn “how to do” it well.
Then the Holy Spirit brought the matter of prayer into my mind – particularly Jesus’ teaching on the Model Prayer, found in Matthew 6 and Luke 11.
Learning “to Pray”
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
So He said to them, “When you pray, say:
OurFather in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one (Luke 11:1-4).”
Notice the disciple did not ask Jesus “how to pray.” The omission of “how” has been a curiosity to me for some time now. Why is a word, which appears over five-hundred times in the Bible, so conspicuously absent here? Why “to pray” and not “how to pray?” I am convinced, and hope you will consider, that: 1) the disciple was asking for something deeper than instruction in prayer; and, 2) this is a matter of vast importance to the church today.
The Cart Before the Horse
I suspect I am not the only one who has spent too much of his life putting the “how to pray” before the “to pray.” We want someone to give us the “how to” so we can get it done, check the box, and move on to the next thing. It’s easy to see how we’ve lost God’s way for prayer, and lost the desire of our heart to pursue it.
“How to” activates our minds, and that’s a problem. Of course, our minds are required for prayer (and everything else we do); but prayer should not be a mind-dominated activity. It is far more important to lead with our hearts – the organ of faith (Romans 10:10) and the source of our desire “to pray” (Psalm 37:4).
“To pray” requires a proper positioning before God. The mind looks down on, to analyze; the heart looks up to, with faith and desire. The Pharisees seemed to think “to pray” was about position before men; Jesus warned the disciples this was not the case.
And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. Matthew 6:5
After warning them, Jesus gave the disciples the Model Prayer, that they might first find and experience their position before their Father in heaven. Read the prayer again and notice:
- The Father’s position in Heaven, and the holiness of His nature.
- The dependency of mankind for His kingdom, His blessings, His forgiveness, and His protection from temptation and the evil.
- The final acknowledgement of the Father’s kingdom, power, and glory (in the Matthew account).
The Model Prayer is God’s way for positioning us in relationship with Him. The disciple may not have known it, but he was asking Jesus to teach him and his brothers to humbly position themselves before His Father in heaven.
Interestingly, the incident before Luke’s account of the Model Prayer is that of Mary and Martha, one positioned at Jesus feet, and the other busy trying to serve him (Luke 10:38-42). Analogously, Mary knew “to pray” and Martha did not. The parable after Jesus’ instruction is the same: the man comes to his friend; he does not send someone else (Luke 11:5-8). He knew “to pray” himself, not depend on someone else to do it for him.
Only from a proper position will we discover and experience the faith, desire, and grace “to pray.” And from there, the Holy Spirit will guide us into “how to pray.” This is why we should begin our day on our knees; and why we should pray both alone and in community (positioned before Him with one another). Prayer must be practiced – we must learn “to pray,” alone and in community – to know what “prayer” even means.
Motivation “to Pray”
An important lesson in learning “to pray” is understanding the “why” of pray. Somewhere underneath the disciple’s request, he wondered, “Why do you pray this way?” Jesus would have answered, “Because I am dependent on my Father for everything (John 5:19); it is His will that I seek (John 5:30).” Jesus’ relationship with His Father was sustained through prayer.
Likewise, in practicing the Model Prayer, the disciples would supernaturally experience the Father’s will to commune with them; and His response would stir their desire for communion with Him. At its heart, the Model Prayer is the expression of a desire for right relationship – from Father to son and daughter, and from son and daughter to Father. Again, this is why we must lead with our hearts, not our minds.
So, how might we get the horse back before the cart where he belongs? Here’s an exercise to get us started:
- Answer: What is prayer to me? Why do I pray?
- Practice the Model Prayer with a heart for deeper relationship and understanding. This should include positioning yourself both physically and spiritually before your Father in heaven.
- Listen to what the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have to say about prayer and your relationship with Them.
- Answer: What is prayer to me now? What have I learned that has encouraged me to pray?
As we conclude, it occurs to me that there are many other disciplines in which we have gotten the “how to” ahead of the “to.” Three come immediately to mind: to serve, to sacrifice, and to love. Personally, I must remind myself regularly what it means to love, and to love everyone I meet (brethren, neighbor, and enemy). The “how to” seems quite secondary, now that I think of it.
God bless you with His presence as you learn to pray (and serve, sacrifice, and love).
Humbly yours and forever His,
Rob
#iamjustthepen