Exploring the Seven Elements of the Lord's Prayer

Prepare for Prayer
“Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.”
Psalm 25:5 (KJV)
Be “Leadable” and Teachable
Once when I visited an all-male state prison in central Pennsylvania, the superintendent said something that left an impression on me. Many of the inmates thought of themselves as being “too good” to take menial jobs or to admit they might need to learn something. This attitude was perhaps their greatest obstacle in moving forward with their personal correctional plans, which each prisoner receives in the state correctional system. In essence, their pride interfered with their ability to better themselves.
We all must be careful not to fall into this trap. Instead, we should adopt the attitude of David when he pleads with God:
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me ..
Psalm 25:5 (to 2nd me) (KJV)
We know from Scripture that David had a great understanding of God from a very young age. He was the young boy who trusted in God and slew Goliath, that giant Philistine. This might lead some to believe that David would not need to humble himself before God. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is because he humbled himself that God found favor with him, which is shown over and over again in the book of Psalms. David was not afraid to ask God to lead him and teach him.
What an excellent example David gives us to follow! David understood that we need to set aside our pride in order for us to advance. We cannot hope to grow in our understanding and relationship with God if, like those inmates in central Pennsylvania, we are “unleadable” and unteachable. We must become “leadable” and teachable.
Contemplation and Discussion
1. How can being unteachable and “unleadable” interfere with our ability to pray? Are you truly ready to ask God to lead you and teach you?
Two Don’ts and Do’s
Sometimes when we want to learn something, it helps to know what not to do. Before Jesus tells his disciples how to pray, he lays down two don’ts in order to stress the opposite of what we must do.
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:5-8 (NIV)
For Whom Do We Pray?
In the first pair of Don’ts and Do’s, Jesus gives us a stark contrast. Don’t pray like a hypocrite, who prays in a very public manner for all to see and admire him as he prays. Note, too, the place of this manner of public prayer doesn’t matter to Jesus. It makes no difference if the showy prayer is on a street corner or in a synagogue, which is a place of worship. It is easy to imagine one of these individuals standing in the synagogue as he speaks an elaborate and detailed prayer, saying all the right things in a way that impresses all those who hear his words of supplication.
Why might it be wrong to pray in such a manner? Well, let’s look at the motive of the hypocrite. Is his motivation, to seek the approval of others; to impress them with his piety and ability to pray; to show off his devotedness? Jesus’s answer is that “they have received their reward in full.” Their reward is simply the approval of others. Not, however, the approval of God.
Instead of being loud and showy with the intent to impress others, Jesus tells us to pray privately, in secret: “go into your room, close the door.” By preparing to pray in this manner, it eliminates any ulterior motive, such as seeking approval from anyone else other than God.
Did Jesus literally mean that every time we pray, we are to shut ourselves in a closet or room? Jesus himself prayed often in the presence of his disciples, although at other times he removed himself from others to pray. One explanation is that Jesus was telling us to shut out distractions when we pray in order to keep our motivations pure and sincere. This is what I was taught as a child in Sunday school. We are to shut out all distractions when we pray to God. We should not be thinking of other things, especially not trying to impress others with our ability to pray.
Our motivation must be sincere if we want our reward to be more than the approval of others. Our motives must be pure, unaffected by whomever else we might think is listening. Consider Jesus’ fifth Beatitude:
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Matthew 5:8 (KJV)
Keeping our motivations pure for prayer will go a long way to help us. When we do this, God’s promise is that he will reward us.
Contemplation and Discussion
2. What distractions are there when we attempt to pray?
3. Are our motivations always pure when we pray? What can we do to make sure that they are? Is it still okay to pray in a public place, and, if yes, what steps can we take to avoid misdirected motivations?