How Then Should We Pray
This is the first in a series of posts about prayer and the family! Join us as we consider how our prayers lives can be enriched through using God’s Word!
Matthew 6 tells how Jesus instructed us to pray, and we often focus on verses 9-13, but have we considered verse 6?
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
I don’t know about you, but we don’t have much space for privacy in our small 2-bedroom apartment, no matter how early or late is the hour. This isn’t uncommon in families, especially families with little kids. But we still need this time and level of intimacy with God. I’ve considered the term “secret places” in the Bible, and it’s often synonymous with God’s shadow or hiding place.* God desires us to “abide” in this hidden place (Jn. 15:7).
"abide": to linger, wait, await, continue to live, and remain.
We actually have the opportunity to do this continually (1 Thess. 5:17), especially when we shift how we think about that secret place with God in which we continue to live and remain in him.
The idea of praying all the time and remaining in God’s shadow may seem intimidating, but picture your daily life at home. How many times do you cry out in frustration, joy, anger, excitement, or the other dozen emotions we experience daily?
“Jesus take the wheel!”
“Y’all bout to make me lose my mind!”
“Thank you, GOD!”
“HELP!”
“AARGH!” (á la Charlie Brown)
Those are (often) the genuine cries of parents trying to make it through each day and keep their kids alive. What if we shift our mindset from using these as cries of frustration toward cries out to the God who answers all our prayers? What if, instead, we genuinely cry out:
“God, help me! I’m so angry/frustrated/fed up/at my wit’s end! I don’t know what to do! [insert frustrating event] Give me wisdom! I want to do the right thing but I don't know what that is! I’m here. Please speak to me.”
Friends, each one of those statements is found (paraphrased) in the Bible!
“(Ps. 13:1-2)! (Ex. 32)! (James 1:5). (Mark 9:23-25)! (Jer. 33:3; John 10:5, 27-28; 1 John 5:14).” Using Scripture is the most biblically intimate way we can pray.
Make Your ways known to me, LORD; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long (Ps. 25:4-5).
Let our daily cries be intentional. God desires us to reach out to him at all times. It’s in the secret places we can truly dwell with him. Sometimes, it’s a literal secret space in your home. But if you don’t have the luxury of that space, know that your heart and mind are secret places where you can have one-on-ones with your Heavenly Father.
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* Ex. 33:22; Dt. 29:29; Ps. 17:8, 18:11, 27:5, 31:20, 32:7, 36:7, 57:1, 81:7, 91:1-16, 119:114, 139:13; Jn. 15:7; Heb. 4:12; et al.
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