There are a lot of questions we have Jesus does not directly answer.
Why mosquitoes?
Should I vote and for whom?
Why do kids get cancer?
If Jesus answered every conceivable question we each have, there wouldn’t be enough space in any book to responsibly take care of them. This is besides the point that God’s primary desire is not to be a divine search engine or even an old man up on top of a mountain. Rather, God exists as relational heavenly father.
But, Jesus does answer a few questions, including in today’s passage: “How do we pray?”.
And he answers it pretty directly.
It might first be good to note what he does not say. Jesus does not say that prayer is “just talking to God.” We might suppose such a notion is okay for a bit, early in the Christian life as one adjusts to the idea of communicating with the divine.
He also does not say, “Pray in old English” (or Greek, Hebrew, Latin or any other presumed higher level tongue.
He also does not say, “You must write your prayers” or “You must not write your prayers.”
He does not say prayer needs to be long or loud or of a particular level of passion.
He does not say that one requires a theological degree or any other formation or experience other than knowing the form he’s about to give.
…which is what we most often call The Lord’s Prayer.
And he elaborated even further with several short illustrations to say that everyone should pray. That we should pray often. That we should be bold and honest.
So…pray. And if it helps to think of it as “just talking to God,” that’s okay. But do pay attention to how Jesus told the disciples to do it.
Luke 11:1-13
Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Jesus told them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom. Give us the bread we need for today. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us. And don’t lead us into temptation.’”
He also said to them, “Imagine that one of you has a friend and you go to that friend in the middle of the night. Imagine saying, ‘Friend, loan me three loaves of bread because a friend of mine on a journey has arrived and I have nothing to set before him.’ Imagine further that he answers from within the house, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ I assure you, even if he wouldn’t get up and help because of his friendship, he will get up and give his friend whatever he needs because of his friend’s brashness. And I tell you: Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. To everyone who knocks, the door is opened.
“Which father among you would give a snake to your child if the child asked for a fish? If a child asked for an egg, what father would give the child a scorpion? If you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”
Psalm 86:1-7
Lord, listen closely to me and answer me,
because I am poor and in need.
Guard my life because I am faithful.
Save your servant who trusts in you—you! My God!
Have mercy on me, Lord,
because I cry out to you all day long.
Make your servant’s life happy again
because, my Lord, I offer my life to you,
because, my Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of faithful love for all those who cry out to you.
Listen closely to my prayer, Lord;
pay close attention to the sound of my requests for mercy.
Whenever I am in trouble, I cry out to you,
because you will answer me.
Prayer
God,
Sometimes I make prayer harder than it needs to be, worrying about the right words or the right tone. Help me remember what you want most is honesty, not performance. Teach me to keep coming back to you not just when I need answers, but because I need you.
Heavenly Father, you are holy. Reveal your Kingdom here on earth. Make your way to both be known and served right around us. Give us what we need for today and help us to trust that it is enough. Forgive us and then help us to forgive as we’ve been forgiven. Keep us from the things of evil, except that we live boldly within the world as your people. It’s all yours anyway - the Kingdom, all the power, and certainly the glory.
By your Spirit & in Christ,
Amen.