Prayer: Meaningful

(Post 4 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"...[D]o not use meaningless repetition..." - Jesus teaching how to pray in Matthew 6:7

It may look holy and spiritual when monks sit Indian style and moan mantras to God over and over again; but it's the equivalent of my son sitting and the breakfast table this morning saying "Oh yea!" 1.7 billion times. (He really did that this morning and I don't know why...) When you're talking with your earthly dad, you don't repeat meaningless stuff over and over again, do you? I hope not.

Our prayers are to be full of words and sentences and questions that have meaning to us. It's a conversation. It's so ironic that many of us repeat the Lord's Prayer so often when just before Jesus taught it He said "don't use meaningless repetition" when you talk to your Father. Instead, just like in other interactions you have, think what it is you want to communicate and use words to communicate it. Simple.

1. Prayer is secret.
2. Prayer is familiar.
3. Prayer is meaningful.

Prayer: Familiar

(Post 3 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"...[Y]our Father knows what you need before you ask Him." - Jesus teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:8.

When Jesus teaches Christians how to pray in Matthew 6:5-15, He refers to God as 'Father' six times (count 'em if you don't believe me). If you're a Christian, you are God's son or daughter. He is your Father. Speak with Him accordingly.

I don't want my kids to formalize their interactions with me. Nor do I want them to disrespect me. I don't want them to treat me like a school principle, a police officer, a vending machine, or their best friend. I want them to treat me like their dad. This is how Jesus teaches Christians to approach God as well. As the perfect Dad. Warm, wise, and worthy of respect.

1. Prayer is secret.
2. Prayer is familiar.

Prayer: Secret

(Post 2 of 10 posts about prayer.)

"[W]hen you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret..." - Jesus, teaching about prayer in Matthew 6:5-6

Prayer is a conversation between you and God. The religious hypocrites of Jesus' day made prayer an occasion to show off their religiosity. Prayer isn't a contest. It doesn't matter who bows their head and closes their eyes the longest before digging into dinner. It's simply you talking to God. So don't stress if you're uncomfortable praying in public. Maybe we all should be.

Rather, sink into secret prayer in your room, car, McDonald's booth - wherever - and enjoy this private time between just you and God.

Survival Skills: Prayer

(Part 1 of 10 posts about prayer.)

Who is your closest friend or relative? Who do you communicate with the most? Odds are they are the same person. The more we communicate with someone the closer we become. The less we communicate, the further we drift. Communication with God is vital to survival as a Christian.

He communicated to us in the Bible. We communicate with Him in prayer. It's a two-way conversation.

Over the next week, we'll learn how Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:5-13. Read it for yourself in the meantime.

Bible: Respond

(Post 6 of 6 posts about reading the Bible.)

Step five: respond.

Once you've prayerfully read, researched, and reworded some Scripture, it's time to respond. Is there a command to obey? Is there a promise to claim? Is there a warning to heed? You'll need to prayerfully consider the passage in order to respond rightly. The Holy Spirit helps with this whole process from prayer to response, so don't worry. Just submit yourself wholly to what it says.

It's like what you do with food. Reading spoons it in your mouth. Research and rewording chews it up. Responding digests it and turns it in to real life action. If you don't respond, you'll just end up with a bunch of Scripture dribbling down your chin and you'll eventually starve to death. So... respond.

I'll be praying for you as you get started reading your Bible. Bon appetite.

Bible: Reword

(Post 5 of 6 posts about reading the Bible.)

Step four: reword.

Once you've prayerfully read a little bit and researched what it means, I recommend rewording it in your own language. You know you understand something when you can explain it in your own words. For example:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
Lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)

I would reword this verse something like this:

"All of my heart must lean on God, trusting Him. None of my heart should lean on myself, trusting my own understanding."

Rewording it clarifies its meaning and makes it your own. Try it!

Bible: Research

(Part 4 of 6 posts about reading the Bible.)

Step three: research.

You've prayed for God's help. You've read a little bit. Now it's time to answer some of your questions. You won't be able to read God's word without having questions and you're in luck. There are a brazillion helpful websites you can turn to. Here is my favorite one (right now): www.biblos.com. It takes some getting used to, but once you do, you'll be able navigate the Bible as easily as Facebook (sort of).

Some other trusted sites:
www.desiringgod.org
www.crosswalk.com
www.biblegateway.com
www.gty.org
www.monergism.com

You can also just google your question and see what comes up, but be careful. You can't believe everything you read on the WWW.

Your goal here: figure out what it means.