Lenten Disciplines: Prayer
Continuing with our series on Lenten disciplines, we come to Lent’s emphasis on prayer. The words of Our Lord from the Sermon on the Mount set forth an example that has formed the backbone of Christian prayer from the beginning.
“[W]hen you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.“
Matthew 6:7–13
The Lord’s Prayer is a way of praying, not with many words, but with the simplicity of children, honoring their Heavenly Father, asking for their daily needs, praying for their forgiveness, and invoking protection against all evil. The Lord’s Prayer, it has been said, sets forth the “pattern and practice of prayer.”
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The Pattern of Prayer
It is a pattern that is very much like the sort of pattern one would use when sewing a dress or a shirt. I remember as a child, my mother enjoyed sewing from patterns. She would lay out the fabric, pinning the pattern to the fabric, and carefully cutting out each piece. Patterns are necessary because, without them, the product of our labors is rather haphazard and disjointed. We need a pattern because intentionality and order in prayer are precisely the things that lead us to fruitful prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is like a trellis for a vine; without a trellis, the vine will be untrained and unfruitful. What we find in the Christian life is that, as opposed to shaping prayer to our own lives, we are molded to prayer.
Prayer as a Gift
The Lord’s Prayer sets forth a practice that, in regularly reciting it, our own prayers flow out its simplicity, not empty phrases, or many words, but the prayer of one who is already known by God.
All of this is to say that if you’re struggling with prayer, perhaps it is time to give up on seeing prayer as something you do and start seeing it as a gift of a loving Father, who invites you to speak, in simplicity and trust, of those desires of the heart he already knows. Teresa of Avila once remarked, “Prayer is loving intercourse with God.” She said this because she knew the intimacy of knowing God, not so much as a friend, but as a marital lover. Perhaps that scandalizes you, but it is precisely the heart of Christian prayer—all at once a sacredness, intimacy, and even a hidden, private love which brings joy to the heart and trust to our wills.
Prayer as a Discipline
In Lent, prayer comes into focus as a discipline, requiring the heart of a learner. Consider taking 15 minutes daily to come to the Lord and ask him, as did his disciples, to teach you to pray. Slowly, and to learn, take up the Lord’s Prayer. Let the words wash over you. If distractions come, tell them to wait until the 15 minutes are over. When you are finished, take the time to listen truly, and in the end, give thanks for that time.
If you struggle to keep up the discipline, remember that you’re learning. Most of us are, in truth, still learning to pray. Ask the Lord to help you. Ask for the grace to be attentive and to be given the gift of prayer. What you’ll find is that the practice is what gives shape to discipline, not only discipline but great joy and growth.
May the Lord refresh you during this season!
Photo by Tinnakorn Jorruang from Getty Images, courtesy of Canva. Edited by Jacob Davis.
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