Living on a Prayer

 Each morning you listen to my prayer, as I bring my requests to you and wait for your reply.

– Psalm 5:3

One day after Jesus had finished praying to his Father, one of his disciples made a simple — yet profound — request that Christ-followers remember to this day.

"Lord," the follower said. "Teach us to pray, just as John (the Baptist) taught his disciples."

Jesus' famous response is what we know today as The Lord's Prayer:

"When you pray, say: ‘Father, help us to honor your name. Come and set up your kingdom. Give us each day the food we need. Forgive our sins, as we forgive everyone who has done wrong to us. And keep us from being tempted.’"

Jesus wasn't teaching his followers to recite a magic formula to compel God to grant their most heartfelt wishes. Instead, he was modeling his intimate, ongoing conversation with his Father. And the religious leaders of the time were highly offended by the notion. "After all," they said, "Who dares go before God but our High Priest?"

The answer was much closer than they thought.

Jesus also taught his 1st century disciples that he could do only what he saw his Father doing. That's also a reminder to 21st century Christ-followers that to do God's will in our communities — and the entire world for that matter — we must be in constant conversation with him. It’s through ongoing prayer that our heart, will, and mind become closer to the Father's. And the result is that his ways become our ways.

If you grew up attending a traditional church, you might think of prayer as kneeling on pews (with eyes closed and heads bowed) during the choir's rendition of How Great Thou Art. To others, prayer is something done aloud with hands outstretched and eyes looking skyward. But Jesus' lesson to us is that prayer boils down to the simple act of conversing with God. And that’s a remarkable concept. The Creator of the Universe — the One who counts the number of hairs on our heads — wants to hear from us! 

In these uncertain days marked by political unrest, economic uncertainty, and natural disasters, it's reassuring to know that every Christ-follower has a direct line to the Father. 

"I was in terrible trouble when I called out to you," wrote the Psalmist. "But from your temple you heard me and answered my prayer."