WHAT AND HOW WE SHOULD PRAY

How great is the power of unconscious influence! The disciples knew how often the Lord resorted to a solitary place to pray in the early morning, Mark 1. 35; had recently witnessed His face shining, and His being transfigured ‘as he prayed’, Luke 9. 29; and observed His looking up to heaven as He wrought some of His miracles, e.g., Luke 9. 16. They now wanted to pray like this, to enter into the secrets of prayer.

They must however have noticed that His praying was different: confession and contrition were absent. Thus, it is a misnomer to call this prayer the Lord’s prayer.

In its specific focus, this prayer is not for us at all. The disciples here are being seen as Jews, and it is in the tribulation period that this prayer will find expression in its appropriate context, by all who do not bow down to the beast. As Daniel, they will acknowledge the God of heaven, v. 2. They will honour His name, whilst the beast will blaspheme against God, ‘to blaspheme his name’, Rev. 13. 6; they will pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done; and as they will not be able to buy or sell, they will pray literally for bread ‘day by day’; and to be delivered from the ‘evil one’, Matt. 6. 13 RV.

Nevertheless, there are here principles of prayer. We must begin with God, His concerns, His praise. We must be reverent and respectful. The main things are God’s name, honour, and kingdom, whilst our requests are secondary. Yet the common things of life are not outside the scope of prayer, nor the concern of the Father; our needs are important, especially for forgiveness, moral guidance and succour. Forgiveness is very important. Do we sufficiently realize the importance of the need to confess our sins to God? John tells us to ‘confess our sins’, 1 John 1. 9, but do we?

God’s will to be done. This is the grand objective of all true prayer, and nowhere is it more clearly demonstrated than in Gethsemane. The great overriding object of our Lord’s life and prayer was not the laying down of His life at the cross, but the doing of the Father’s will. That, and that alone, was all important, Luke 22. 42.