Lord, teach us to pray

by Thomas M. Winger

Jesus’ three-year earthly ministry was saturated with prayer. He regularly escaped from the crowds to commune with His Father in prayer. It seems quite remarkable to us that one who fully knew the mind of God, as the second Person of the Trinity, nevertheless dedicated copious amounts of time to praying. For God’s Son, such speaking with His Father was only natural. And for one who took on the form of a slave, prayer was an act of submission to the will of the one who sent Him (Hebrews. 5:7-8). Jesus’ praying teaches us that prayer is not fundamentally about “getting stuff,” but is a personal act that exercises one’s relationship with God.

Jesus also prayed with His disciples gathered closely around Him. As they watched they were led to ask, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). This, too, is remarkable, as these are bornand-bred Jews who have attended synagogue and Temple their whole lives, and prayed with their parents from the cradle. But in Jesus they see something they have never seen before. It makes them think they need to start all over again. And thank God for their question, for it leads Jesus to give the greatest prayer of all: the “Our Father” (Luke 11:3-4; Matthew 6:9-13).

What’s so new about the Lord’s Prayer? There is a refreshing directness and warmth about it. It was uncommon for Jews to address God in prayer as “Father”; but Jesus calls Him “Abba” (“Daddy”) and invites us into the same intimate address as fellow sons of God (Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15). But what was truly new was that they were learning to pray in Jesus. “Our Father” means not just “yours and mine” but “ours and His.” By praying Jesus’ own words we learn that our prayers are His prayers. We never approach God’s throne directly, but always through and in Jesus (Ephesians 2:18). The Father hears us not because we use the right formula or speak many words (Matthew 6:7), but because Jesus has His ear.

Don’t Speak Until You’re Spoken To

Now, as we are God’s children, it is certainly true that He listens attentively to anything we say. But the disciples’ question to Jesus reminds us that we can and should still learn how to pray. He gave them the words, and they learnt to repeat them back. So also we need to hear God speaking to us before we speak to Him. In this way we learn to ask not for the things we think important—for our desires are always blackened by sinful selfishness and a preoccupation with this life. By listening first to God’s Word, we learn who God is, what matters to Him, what He has promised to give.

Certainly prayer can be a spontaneous act. As we experience joys and pains throughout the day we instinctively voice words of thanks and petitions for help. The Holy Spirit moves and supports our praying heart even when we cannot come up with the words (Romans 8:26). But when we set aside time for prayer, it is important to begin by reading the Scriptures. There we hear of God’s great acts that not only lead us to praise and thank Him, but also encourage us to voice our cries for help. And through those holy words the Spirit ploughs the hard ground of our heart and prepares it to receive God’s gifts.

The Psalms hold a unique place in this pattern. When we read the Psalms, God not only teaches us the way He has acted among the saints of old, but He gives us the very words to voice our prayers back to Him. The Psalms are instruction, praise, thanksgiving, and petition all rolled into one. Most importantly, they are the very voice of Jesus (Son of David), who is not only the theme of so many Psalms but also, ultimately, the one who sings them all. So when we pray the Psalms, we pray with Jesus. It is a marvellous discipline to include at least one Psalm in every daily devotion.

“Collect” Your Thoughts

There is a special form in Christian liturgical tradition that can help us learn the pattern of Godpleasing prayer: the “collect.” In the divine service we have the “Collect of the Day,” and in the daily offices the “Collect for Grace” (Matins) and the “Collect for Peace” (Vespers). Collects usually follow this scheme: (1) the holy name of God; (2) an appeal to a quality or promise of God; (3) a petition for help; (4) the benefit or result we seek; and (5) concluding words of Trinitarian praise (doxology).

The collect pattern teaches us to think first of who our God is and why we think He will answer us. So first we express our relationship with Him as loving Father before we even think about what we need. Then we learn to ask for what He wishes to give us, not simply what we think we need. In this way our prayers become less selfish. By considering the goal of our prayers, we learn to focus on abiding needs rather than passing fancies. And finally, the collect teaches us the joy of praising God, for prayer is so much more than just a transaction of goods.

The hymnal provides collects for just about every occasion. Using them can teach us how to pray. But once you get the hang of it, you can form your own prayers in this pattern. Following a simple pattern like this can help break down barriers to prayer.

“Pray” the Catechism

It is said that the Small Catechism binds together Lutherans around the world in the way that the Book of Common Prayer binds Anglicans. We tend to think of the Catechism as a textbook of doctrine, to be learnt in Confirmation class and put on the shelf. But Luther meant it as a prayer book—which is why it is in our hymnal (LSB 321-30).

The original printings of the Catechism were posters meant to be hung above the family dining table. At the end of the Small Catechism Luther provides a set of “Daily Prayers” that give discipline and rhythm to the family’s devotional day: morning, mealtimes, and bedtime. These mini orders of service teach us to use God’s Triune name, pray the Psalms and Our Father, and say an appropriate collect.

But Luther really intended us to pray the whole Catechism—not his questions and answers, but the basic texts of the Decalogue, Creed, and Our Father. In his marvellous booklet, A Simple Way to Pray (1535), Luther describes for Peter his barber how to do this. As you speak each commandment, petition, or article, ponder how it can serve you as instruction, and then prompt your own words of thanksgiving, confession, and petition.

Pray with Help

Prayer is at the same time surprisingly simple and maddeningly difficult. We can pray what our Spirit-moved heart desires, but often we don’t know how to say it. In Lutheran tradition the hymnal has been designed to help. There is a section of prayers for all occasions and needs (LSB 305-18). These can help us to think about how those closest to us need God’s help. We cannot possibly pray for everything in the world—though we do so in general terms. But God has placed us into a family, church, and community that we know intimately. And so our prayers should focus on those near us, according to our various callings.

The hymnal also provides simple orders for personal and family prayer. Responsive Prayer 1 and 2 lay out the pattern (LSB 282- 87). They begin with God’s Word to us in Scripture readings and Psalm versicles; they give us the foundational prayer language of the Kyrie, Our Father, and Creed. Finally they provide one or two brief collects to prime the pump for our personal petitions. And then there are four even briefer patterns for morning, noon, early evening, and close of day, which include suggestions of what to pray for on each day of the week (LSB 294-98).

Certainly not all prayer needs to come from a book. But as the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, so we can learn daily how impoverished our own thoughts may be in comparison with the richness of God’s Word and His Fatherly generosity. Much of this richness is deposited in prayer patterns of Christians who have gone before us and are still leading us. When we “pray with help,” we pray not just with a book but with the whole communion of saints on earth and in heaven, whose hearts and voices sustain us in our weak and faltering efforts. And uniting this whole company of pray-ers is the One Mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ (I Timothy 2:5), who lives to stand before His Father’s throne and make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).

Rev. Dr. Thomas M. Winger is President of Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary (St. Catharines, Ontario).