to notice them. The true and living God is not like that. He is aware even of a sparrow when it falls. He knows His children in such detail that He notes the number of hairs on their heads. We do not inform God about our needs in prayer. He already knows them. He has anticipated our petitions before we utter them. Not only so, but God is already disposed to respond. He is not only aware of our needs, but also deeply concerned with them. God knows all about us, we are now free to devote our primary attention to the work of God instead of our immediate needs. Our lives need not be dominated by anxiety over daily necessities. God is willing and able to supply these things while His children devote themselves to the things that matter most. This confidence changes the way that we pray. While we certainly will wish to share our daily needs with our loving Father, our gaze should lift beyond our present little circumstances and our hearts should be quickened by His larger work in the world. Repetition need not be mindless or idolatrous. does not forbid some repetition. The Bible contains several examples of repetition in prayer. For example, in , every verse ends with the refrain, His mercy endureth forever.” This repeats twenty-six times. “for Jesus does not forbid the use of written prayers. Many of the psalms were written as prayers that are meant to be used and repeated by God’s people, whether individually or corporately. When we pray a psalm of David or Asaph, we are repeating someone else’s words, but the repetition is not empty. The opposite of vain repetition is not spontaneity (which may also be vain), but thoughtfulness. Jesus does not forbid the recitation of memorized prayers. We memorize portions of Scripture so that we can use them in our own prayer lives. We praise God using the words of the biblical authors (e.g., psalms of David, prophecy of Isaiah or Jeremiah, prayers of Paul). We may confess our sins using phrases drawn directly from the Bible (e.g., , ). Whether our prayer is one that we compose or one that we have learned, what matters is that it is spoken with understanding and offered from our heart. Sincere prayer is not mechanical, merely repeating words with no meaning. Sincere prayer is an expression of genuine devotion, submission, and expectation.
to notice them. The true and living God is not like that. He is aware even of a sparrow when it falls. He knows His children in such detail that He notes the number of hairs on their heads. We do not inform God about our needs in prayer. He already knows them. He has anticipated our petitions before we utter them. Not only so, but God is already disposed to respond. He is not only aware of our needs, but also deeply concerned with them. God knows all about us, we are now free to devote our primary attention to the work of God instead of our immediate needs. Our lives need not be dominated by anxiety over daily necessities. God is willing and able to supply these things while His children devote themselves to the things that matter most. This confidence changes the way that we pray. While we certainly will wish to share our daily needs with our loving Father, our gaze should lift beyond our present little circumstances and our hearts should be quickened by His larger work in the world. Repetition need not be mindless or idolatrous. does not forbid some repetition. The Bible contains several examples of repetition in prayer. For example, in , every verse ends with the refrain, “for His mercy endureth forever.” This repeats twenty-six times. Jesus does not forbid the use of written prayers. Many of the psalms were written as prayers that are meant to be used and repeated by God’s people, whether individually or corporately. When we pray a psalm of David or Asaph, we are repeating someone else’s words, but the repetition is not empty. The opposite of vain repetition is not spontaneity (which may also be vain), but thoughtfulness. Jesus does not forbid the recitation of memorized prayers. We memorize portions of Scripture so that we can use them in our own prayer lives. We praise God using the words of the biblical authors (e.g., psalms of David, prophecy of Isaiah or Jeremiah, prayers of Paul). We may confess our sins using phrases drawn directly from the Bible (e.g., , ). Whether our prayer is one that we compose or one that we have learned, what matters is that it is spoken with understanding and offered from our heart. Sincere prayer is not mechanical, merely repeating words with no meaning. Sincere prayer is an expression of genuine devotion, submission, and expectation.
Teach-us-to-Pray.teacher.spring-12.docx