Simple Prayer

A couple of weeks ago I had the blessing of working with David Hawk, Hawk, in Children's Ministry as the Carpenters for Christ were building our new Community Life Center. As they built a building we built trust and laughter into the lives of kids. One of Hawk's goals was to teach the kids The Lord's Prayer. He believes, and I agree, that we've missed a generation with Scripture memorization. The kids did an amazing job and had it down in less than three days. 

Today I was reading someone else's blog and he mentioned The Lord's Prayer. Here's what he said...

From Chris Lockwood's Blog entitled Pray Like This...
It seems that prayer has become so matter of fact these days, that we have forgotten the privilege we have in approaching and speaking with a Holy God.  What an amazing opportunity to communicate with the Author of all creation, and how sad for us that we don’t heed every moment we have to speak with, or hear from, Him.  We have become too busy to pray, too calloused to bother with what God wants, and too unimaginative to the wonderful possibilities that might await us if we’d just embrace this intimacy.  Jesus relieves the burden for what we’ve imagined prayer is by informing us that there’s no need for long ambitious empty phrases or many words.  God doesn’t need us to put on a show.  He’s not impressed.  Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 

Prayer, sincere prayer, is simply a way of saying, “I trust you God”, therefore, by not praying, we communicate lack of trust.  Could it be that our busyness, callousness, or lack of imagination is more a result of our insistence that we bear our burdens rather than believing the One who has already overcome the world?  Yes, God has overcome the world, whereby our prayers allow us the opportunity to become a little more familiar with just who He is, all that He’s accomplished, and what wonderful gifts He desires to pour out on those who trust Him.

Not sure where to start?  Jesus has laid out a simple blue print.

1)  Worship:  Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 

2)  Surrender:  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

3)  Trust:  Give us this day our daily bread  

4)  Repentance & Forgiveness:  forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors

5)  Protection:  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

6) Added by me...Ends with worship: For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever. Amen!

What a privilege, an honor, we have in prayer.  The only required cost is time, but the returns far outweigh the investment.