The Lord's Prayer as a Transformative Pattern

“The Lord’s Prayer as a Transformative Pattern” Paul N. Anderson © 2010, published also in a slightly different form in Paul Anderson, Following Jesus: The Heart of Faith and Practice (Newberg, OR: Barclay Press, 2013) 68-77. Do you struggle with your prayer life? I do; I think most honest Christians do. Jesus challenged his disciples in the Garden: “Could you not wait with me [in prayer] one hour?” I have trouble with five minutes! If you’re like me, upon entering a time of personal prayer you might find your mind wandering or yourself thinking about the demands of the day. Things to do, concerns about loved ones, pressures of the day, a twinge of guilt about an insensitive remark or a selfish deed—these distractions interrupt my prayer time, and I imagine I’m not alone. What if they are actually, though, the most pressing items we need to lift to God in prayer? Perhaps our inward “distractions” are the very things we need to offer back to God as the outline of a prayer agenda. I wonder if the lifting of these concerns to God might even fit a pattern of prayer that becomes a part of our spiritual growth and transformation. In my early adulthood I came across a pattern of morning and evening prayer, ordered around Ben Johnson’s pamphlet, The Great Discovery and William Sangster’s booklet, Lord, Teach Us to Pray. Since then, I have adapted it around the Lord’s Prayer, which I’m coming to see now as less of a text to be recited, and more of a transformative pattern of prayer, helping us to go deep into the life with God. Instead of five minutes being too long, I find that fifteen or twenty minutes are often not enough. When God works in our lives, all things indeed become new! The Bible describes several types of prayer, and yet all of them involve some aspect of the human-divine dialogue. Words may be used if helpful to us, but God looks beyond our words to our hearts, and the communion that happens between ourselves and God is itself too beautiful for words. The Apostle Paul speaks of “unceasing prayer”—that intercession empowered by the Holy Spirit—describing it as groanings beyond what words can express (Ro. 8:26-27). Indeed, we are invited into an intimate, ongoing relationship with God, within which we go through the day immersed in prayer, while at the same time carrying on the business of the workaday world. Developing a life of unceasing prayer, though, begins with immersing ourselves in the life of the Spirit, and this is helped by a discipline. Really focusing on a particular kind of prayer, as an intentional focus, helps us become immersed in praise, or thanksgiving, or dedication, or intercession, or petition, or protection, or meditation. It helps us develop our sensitivities to the Spirit’s leadings, and morning and evening patterns of prayer can be of great help in our spiritual development. In Luke Jesus’ disciples come to him and say, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1-4); in Matthew (Matthew 6:1-15) Jesus gives his followers an approach to praying which poses a contrast to public performances and rote repetitions. What Jesus provides them involves not a quotation to be recited, but a pattern to be embraced, suggesting how we might approach God meaningfully in prayer. Try this pattern based on the Lord’s Prayer as a morning discipline of prayer, allowing at least ten or fifteen minutes each day. Feel free to make adjustments as you need to; the goal is centering our lives on Christ. A Morning Pattern of Prayer Upon waking, turn your thought immediately to God. Either breathe a hymn of praise to God (“When morning gilds the skies my heart awakening cries: ‘May Jesus Christ be praised!’”) or muse over a Scripture text if helpful (“Bless the Lord, Oh my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!”). Find a conducive place in which you can lift your heart authentically to God, and spend several minutes on each of these themes. Brood over each until you are saturated with this particular aspect of prayer based on the Lord’s Prayer. Then, see what happens to the rest of your day. A balanced diet spiritually prepares us for living each day to its fullest. Nothing delivers us from a spiritual roller coaster like developing a life of prayerful intimacy with God. Our Father in heaven, (Adoration/Praise) Dwell on the wondrous fact that Jesus invites us to call God our “Father.” This does not mean, of course, that God is not also like a Mother to us; indeed, God’s nurturing love and strengthening love come to us in ways beyond our deservedness. Thank God for his goodness; his blessings are far beyond what we know. Elsewhere, Jesus calls God “Abba, Father”—a term denoting an endearing term a child would use regarding a loving parent-child relationship, but also the respect and adult would use for the same. So does Paul in his writings. Come to God openly, as a child embraces the love of a father or mother, first thing in the morning; for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven. hallowed be thy name. (Thanksgiving/Gratitude) We praise God for who God is; we thank God for what God does. Let your awareness of God’s majesty, goodness, and grace fill you with praise and adoration. Praise is not part of a transaction we produce; it is the only appropriate response to the contemplation of God’s glory. Jesus invites us to join the rest of creation in acknowledging the glory and holiness of the Creator. Praise God that God is the God God is, and let your life be filled with adoration and praise at the beginning of the day and otherwise. Also thank God for what God has done. Our blessings are beyond what we can imagine; take the time to thank God now for family, friends, health, life, grace. Ponder each blessing until you are filled with gratitude; thanksgiving is an action that is never wasted! Let your life be an ongoing chorus of blessing, thanksgiving, and praise to God. Thy Kingdom come; (Commitment/Recommitment) As well as life-long vows to God, offer Christ your life anew—totally and unreservedly—at the beginning of this day. Foresee and forethink the obligations of your day, and envision God’s presence with you throughout the day as you meet those obligations. Even developments that are unforeseen will be met better by this discipline of offering your life to God afresh, including the already-scheduled events of the day. By giving each day to God anew it’s amazing what happens to the quality of the day! “Coincidences” happen; openings emerge; things we’d planned go better, and even surprises are better met by a life immersed in prayer. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (Intercession/Uplifting Others’ Needs) Lift also the needs of the world and the needs of others in prayer, interceding on behalf of those persons and situations for which God has given you a special concern. Keep a prayer list if you need to, or simply pray for those whom God brings to your attention, as you are mindful of such. Lift up family and loved ones, friends and colleagues, projects and responsibilities, ministries and outreach opportunities—as partners in furthering the active reign of God. The Kingdom may indeed come today, even in subtle ways, as people live in dynamic responsiveness to his leadings and embody the way of the Kingdom in the world. Intercession is where the history of the world is changed; there it is that the true business and work of life are carried forth. Intercession is the spiritual work—the heavy lifting we do as partners with Christ in the world—praying in his name because we have discerned and believe that it is his will. Give us this day our daily bread; (Petition/Uplifting Personal Needs) Now lift to God your daily needs. God knows what we need even before we ask, and yet Jesus invites us to lift our needs to God in prayer. Amazing! The prayer of petition appropriately follows our adoration of God and our intercession for others, and yet an authentic sense of our need before God helps us be evermore keenly aware of our absolute dependence upon God for all things—even life itself. Lifting our needs to God, individually and corporately, also helps us release the particular ways we feel our needs should be met. In thanking our heavenly Father for provision ahead of time, desiring our needs be addressed in God’s ways and in God’s timing, we assert our faith in what God is doing around us and within us. And forgive us our sins, for we forgive everyone indebted to us. (Confession/Forgiveness) Receive now God’s forgiveness and grace, availed through Christ Jesus. He bore the sins of humanity on the cross, but acknowledging our sins and need of grace leads us into the prayer for mercy. Christ died and rose for you and me. Those who extend mercy receive mercy, and our extending of forgiveness and grace deserves to be of the same character as that which we have received—or would like to receive. Turning to God with the conscious request for forgiveness further asserts our sense of humbled need before God. So, receive now the forgiveness and grace of God by faith, and extend forgiveness and grace to others by your faithfulness. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. (Deliverance/Empowerment) Finally, trust God for protection and empowerment. The prayer for deliverance from harm and ill asserts our trust in God’s care and protection, both in ways we anticipate as well as in ways we cannot imagine. The bondage of Egypt was a hardship for the children of Israel, but so was their time of testing in the wilderness, even after deliverance. While trials bear within themselves potential for developing strength of character, Jesus also invites us to pray for protection and empowerment along life’s way. Affirming the power and protection of God emboldens our courage and deepens our faith. As George Fox declared often, “The Power of the Lord is over all!” Abide now in the Power of the Resurrected Lord. It is available to all who believe. For Thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory forever. (Centering/Meditation) Close your time as you began it, with lifting praise to God and making your life a “living sacrifice” offered to his glory. Go through your day attending the business at hand, but also lifting prayers of adoration and intercession as you feel led. Attend the subtle promptings of the Spirit and live responsively to the divine will. This is the “centered” life—one that is attentive and responsive to the workings of Christ at the center of our lives. Let this day be given to God alone, dedicated to the furthering of the way and work of the Kingdom, extended by at least one life—yours. Bible reading Set aside during the day a time of Bible reading in which you can cover a passage of suitable length and attain some understanding of what the passage means and how it speaks to you. You might even keep a journal in which your write down your impressions in two columns regarding the biblical text: What It Says, and How It Speaks to Me. Sometimes you might try reading an entire book of the Bible all in one or two sittings to get a sense of a book’s message altogether. At other times you might consider focusing on just a few verses—long enough to get into some material meaningfully, and short enough to be able to go deep into those meanings. To your discipline add a sense of wonder and exploration; the only “wrong” approach to the Bible is not to read it at all. Take in also other good books and devotional classics, as you feel led. We can indeed choose the great writers of the past as our spiritual companions in the life of discipleship. We are not alone in following the Master! Evening Prayer Let your evening prayer develop into its own pattern as suits your needs. You might begin by reading John 17, the High-Priestly Prayer of Jesus, and allow a pattern to emerge from his exemplary prayer at the end of his ministry. Or, you might simply open your heart to God in a totally unstructured way and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. The divine leading can indeed be trusted, and from the perspective of eternity we will wonder why we were such negligent partners in the human/divine discourse—which is what prayer is. Whatever the case, you might begin by reviewing the day and thanking God for the ways you discerned his workings and blessings throughout it. Thank God for his graciousness shown, and acknowledge also your continuing need for grace—a bit of posing here, or times you strayed from the way of Christ—receive God’s grace and also God’s empowerment to do better. “This is what I am except I be changed into the likeness of Christ,” becomes our attitude here. Authentic contrition is the basis for effective repentance. If there are particular concerns God brings your way, you may wish to develop a prayer list. As well as a list of concerns you may also wish to keep a list of celebrations where God has indeed answered your prayers. Upon sleeping, turn your thoughts toward God as your head rests into the pillow. Give God your sleeping hours as well as your waking hours, and recall the words of the Lord on the Cross, “Father, into your hands I commend my Spirit.” Anticipate waking with praise on your heart and beginning the next day anew. The life immersed in prayer indeed weaves a seamless tapestry, and it is a life-changing adventure. Experiment and see what works for you. Modify your approach as you feel led, but keep in mind that the following of a pattern is not the goal, abiding in Christ is the goal. To that end accept, modify and abandon particular plans in order that your life might indeed further the way and work of the Kingdom in the world today. When that happens, prayer is not just something we do; it is something we become. Christ invites us into world-changing partnership, and when we enter into a life-transforming relationship, God’s will is done on earth a bit more closely to the way it is in heaven. And to that, we join Jesus in saying, Amen!