“Prayer Rules, Self-Reliance Drools”  Mt. 6:5-15;  2/28/10

The kids sang a great prayer, and one of the best things we can do, and one of the things we are best at is teaching our kids to pray.   The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon.  One day, she asked him why.    'Well, Honey,' he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages.  'I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon.' 'How come He doesn't answer it?' she asked.  Jesus taught his disciples, and today we still say the same prayer.  The disciples want, like we want, for their prayers to be effective. 

            Do you know there are guidelines to call 911?  Things like, know your situation- where you are; let the call-taker guide you; do not hang up until the call-taker asks  you to do so.  There are guidelines for communicating effectively in any situation- like choosing the right time and place to communicate; remove distractions like cell phones when talking; think about what you are saying; articulate and listen for a response.  It makes sense that if God wants us to talk to Him, and prayer actually changes things (James 4:2), then we should use this staggeringly awesome privilege well.

I.  GUIDELINES- Jesus taught the Lord’s Prayer- teaches us to praise God, confess our sins, ask for His provision,

The first guideline- we need to know is that Jesus taught his disciples to pray.  If you do not believe this prayer doesn’t make sense at all.  This is a prayer that only a disciple can pray with the heart.

Jesus teaches us the depth of prayer here.  Prayer is talking to God, and Jesus is giving us talking points with God.  Our talking is not flat, plain, and babbling and selfish asking.  Rather it is focused on the Father, his name, his ability to forgive, provide, and trust Him to work everything out.  This is not a magic charm, but it is a strength, and help.
            There have been times when we simply don’t know what or how to pray about something.  Something happens- a death,  the doctor tells you the test was positive, something happens to your children, grandchildren, your friend, and you stand at the edge of life with your breath taken away- what do you pray.  I can remember the comfort the Lord’s Prayer was when my mother died.  My mother taught it to me, and to say it and know that others were saying it with me was like aloe vera to a burn- it soothed, it gave hope.

II. MEMORIZED BUT NOT BABBLED- CONVEYING A MESSAGE TO GOD- IT IS ADDRESSED TO HIM.
            a. No mantras. – Not thoughtless repetition to put you into a trance.  In Hinduism , Buddhism, and old western pagan religions- the focus of the prayer is not on God, but getting ourselves into a kind of trance.   Often times they will repeat something untranslatable over and over and over- like “Ohm, Ohm, Ohm.”  Jesus ruled out that kind of prayer.  Prayer is not made to ourselves, or to nothing, or so that other people will hear us.  Jesus spoke against praying for show.  Once a minister prayed in Boston and afterwards someone said, “That was the prettiest prayer ever prayed to a Boston audience.”  Prayer is addressed to our Father.

            b. No vain repetition- That is repetition that makes us vain or proud.  There are people who come to church- repeat the church stuff- but it is so much a habit that it does not come from the heart.  In our day, we are in danger of losing good habits.  Good habits are helpful in that they keep you out of trouble, and keep you doing good when you don’t feel like it.  My wife and I kiss each day and night- it is a really good habit.  When have rubbed each other the wrong way, it is hard to go over and kiss her.  Yet it is a good habit.  Coming to church even when you feel like sleeping in is a good thing. But coming and sleeping in church is not so good.  Good habits have their limits.  Good habits put us in a place to respond to God from our heart.  Bad habits or no habits give us no chance to respond.  In Jesus’ day, there were lots of rules and lots of formulas and repetitions- things that we truly don’t have much in the Presbyterian or the Baptist traditions today. 
            There was such a reaction to repetition at all in the 60’s and 70’s that many in the church said that we should get away from teaching our kids to memorize scripture, or memorize the creed or catechisms.   The so called “experts” were saying that if people just repeated things then they would mean nothing.  But then when they took away our memory work, they took away our education our biblical literacy, and since that time there has been an unbelievable steep drop in knowledge of the Bible or the doctrine of the church. 
            Jesus taught his people to memorize things.   The sermon on the mountain has so many blessed because that makes it easy to memorize.  The Lord’s Prayer is a typical rabbinic prayer of the day, and most people memorized it.   There is nothing wrong with using our memory.  If God has given you the ability to memorize stuff that is great.   Singing hymns or songs enough to memorize the words is not bad either. Memory puts content into our head so that our heart can pull from it when we need it.  But prayer should always be from the heart- not just repetition.

III.  PUBLIC AND PRIVATE- ALL FROM THE HEART
Jesus prayed publicly- the Lord’s Prayer is a public prayer.  Jesus also prayed in private- sometimes getting up before the sun came up to go off to the lake and pray (Mk 1:45).  Calvin said to pray five times a day- at each meal when we thank God for food, and in the morning and evening- at the start and end of each day.  Jesus desired for two or more to agree in prayer; and he also said that worship was when two or more are gathered in his name.  So he is saying it is important to pray in worship. 

Last year (11/08) 6 of the 17 state police chaplain for the Virginia State Police quit because they felt that pressure was put on them to offer prayers that would not mention the name Jesus.  If I was on the state police force I would have also quit. I have prayed at many different functions- and I could have used the word “God” and I could have prayed, “In your name I pray”- which lets everyone pray to their own God.  But I do not pray to any God.  If I am praying, I am praying to Jesus. Jesus said in another place, “If you ask anything “in my name” it will be done for you by my Father in heaven.  To ask something in Jesus’ name means to ask it for his sake, because of our relationship with him and the Father’s relationship.  I once had a friend whose father was very wealthy.  He asked me to go over to his father and ask him for the keys to his yacht.  His father knew me, but he didn’t give me the keys to his yacht because of who I am.  So I said, “Eric said, I should ask you for the keys to the yacht.”  I got them.   The lesson is not to pray for yacht keys.  The lesson is to ask on behalf of the son.  There are some good and simple guidelines to prayer- from the heart to God.  These are important for any age.