I always thought it was odd that the disciples asked Jesus how to pray. I mean, don't you just start rambling to God, or groaning, or listing the things you are thankful for or the names of all the people that you know who are sick. Isn't prayer just a conversation with God? Who needs to be taught how to pray?
I grew up in a church that wasn't big on reciting prayers with exception to the Lords prayer which was something we said because Jesus told us to. I did spend some time trying to understand the lord's prayer so that I could try to model my own prayers after it. But I couldn't really wrap my head around prayer that was scripted.
I mean, how do you have a conversation that is real and authentic when you are just reading a script?
I recently heard a podcast by Emily P Freeman on this subject. She had a similar background and relationship to prayer and discussed the practice of praying written prayers as a new way to pray.
I've been pondering it and wanting to explore it during this lenten time. I've been thinking that maybe written prayers are a conversation but instead of me leading the conversation these prayers invite me to do more listening and searching and reflecting.
Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be they name. Thy kingdom come in earth as it is in heaven.
These words alone require a lot of listening and changing my posture. It isn't about what I want or what I think should be. What if I let myself go long enough to consider what it would be like if earth were like heaven? As a believer, it's this part of my charge? What does it even mean for God's kingdom to come?
Compared to my normal laundry list of gratitudes and requests, this seems to invite me to a much deeper place. This invites me to conversation with God. And easily, I have very little to bring to the table.
Maybe I've had it wrong, maybe my own made up prayers are shallow and these prayers are the deep water. I'm going to explore for a bit and see what it leads.
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