Prayer and Understanding

Not every person knows how to pray.

And not every person knows why.

Not even Christians. Believe me, it scared me once to think of it as well.

But there’s an easy answer to both of those how and why problems.

The first step is to figure out what Jesus said about it.

Luke 11:1 ‘Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.”’

And Jesus did. He taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer.

If you aren’t familiar with The Lord’s Prayer, I’ll write it below.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come;

Thy will be done;

On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation;

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,

the power and the glory.

Forever and ever.

Amen.

Now, one part of this prayer caught my attention more than the rest, but I’m not going to tell you about this right away, as I need to stick with one topic at a time.

So. Prayer.

Many people throughout history (yes, I like history, but this is not really what this post is about) have prayed the Sinners Prayer (the Lord’s Prayer). But they have prayed it so many times without this one important piece of information.

Psalm 116:10 ‘I believed, even when I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.”’

Prayer is not only about speaking to God; it is about becoming more connected to God while spending time in His presence.

Now, I know God is omnipresent and so on, but Prayer is different. It’s like calling your bestie after spending days without talking. It’s the info dump time—the special time. Because when your bestie knows you love them, even while you’re not talking, those calls are always the most important part of your (and their) day.

And believing what you’re speaking is one of the most essential parts of talking with God. If you are praying about something you do not believe in or to someone (God) you do not fully trust (yet), the prayer isn’t the same.

Yes, I know it’s still prayer. It’s still talking to God, but it has less significance and leans more on your own personal feel-good moment than when it is true and meaningful.

Imagine telling your not-so-great friend that you're their best friend just to make yourself happy and fulfilled.

It’s not the same thing as telling your best friend you love them every single day.

Okay. Now that we’re both on the same page, I’m going to dig deeper and tell you what caught my attention so greatly about the Lord’s Prayer.

Debts and Debtors.

People take money from banks and friends all the time.

Sometimes, it’s not a gift. (You see, borrowing and getting money are not the same. Borrowing shows that you will pay up and pay back. Getting money as a gift or from your employer does not imply that you have to give it back. You shouldn’t give it back…never mind.)

God says in Psalm 37:21 that ‘The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives.’

Every single person in this planet is in dept. Spiritual dept.

Imagine it like this:

Movie theatre popcorn. You buy it, you take it home intending to share it with your family. And then, once in a while, you take one piece out of the giant bag, and store it away for yourself. Every piece of that popcorn you take is a sin. Every one you put away is a debt you cannot repay (it is beyond the physical and spiritual boundaries for you to pay for your own spiritual dept). Here’s the good part: God knows about your secret store. He knows the bit you’re hiding from Him, and your family.

And two thousand years ago, when Jesus walked on the earth, He took that store, and He dumped it into the ocean. He got rid of your debt, so thouroughly that you don’t even have the giant popcorn bag to take from anymore, because they’re gone. All your sins are already payed for. All your debt is gone.

So when I read the Lord’s Prayer, and I hear that we are praying for God to forgive us of our sins, and we will forgive other people’s sins.

You don’t have to!

He already did!

You don’t have to worry about God (or even yourself) not paying off your debts! So don’t pray that your sins will be forgiven.

He’s already thrown out the popcorn.

Pray with thourough belief and love, and do not stop.

Stay faithful,

-Claudia