Words To Live By: The Right Way to Pray - Psalm 51:6-12; Matthew 6:5-13
a sermon by the Rev. Dr. Fred A. Holbrook, July 14, 2024
The right way to pray. What is the right way? Here are some professionals who were discussing the issue:
“The proper way for man to pray,” said Deacon Lemuel Keyes, “the only proper attitude is down upon his knees.”
“Nay, I should say the way to pray,” said Reverend Doctor Wise, is standing straight with outstretched arms with rapt and upturned eyes.”
“Oh, no, no, no,” said Elder Snow, “such posture is too proud. A man should pray with eyes fast-closed and head contritely bowed.”
“It seems to me his hands should be austerely clasped in front. With both thumbs pointing to the ground,” said Reverend Doctor Yount.
“Last year I fell in Hasting’s well headfirst,” said Cyril Brown. “With both my heels a-stickin’ up, my head a-pointin’ down; And I done prayed right then and there; best prayer I ever said, The prayin’est prayer I ever prayed, a-standin’ on my head.”
What is the right way to pray? Scripture abounds with a variety of prayers. Our first lesson from Psalm 51 was the prayer of confession and contrition that King David offered after he was convicted by Nathan the prophet. David was a successful king who had everything the world could provide—wealth, prestige, seven wives, and ten concubines. He had everything but then he saw Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, and wanted her for his own. David had Uriah killed in battle and took this beautiful widow as his eighth wife. And though David was a sinner who needed to confess and bear his soul before God, scripture says that David was a man after God’s own heart.
As you and I humble ourselves before the Lord, fully aware of our shortcomings and failures, we need to remember that God can still use each of us. In scripture, God used broken people to do God’s will. When we feel ashamed of praying because we keep on making mistakes, remember that, in the biblical stories:
NOAH was a drunk…
ABRAHAM was too old…
ISAAC was a daydreamer…
JACOB was a liar…
LEAH wasn’t as pretty as her sister…
JOSEPH was abused…
MOSES stuttered…
GIDEON was afraid…
SAMSON had long hair…
RAHAB was a prostitute…
JEREMIAH and TIMOTHY were too young…
DAVID had an affair and was a murderer…
ELIJAH was suicidal…
ISAIAH preached naked…
JONAH ran from God…
NAOMI was a widow…
JOB went bankrupt…
JOHN the Baptist ate bugs…
PETER denied Christ…
THE DISCIPLES fell asleep while praying…
MARTHA worried about everything…
MARY MAGDALENE was depressed…
The SAMARITAN WOMAN was divorced—more than once!!…
ZACCHAEUS was too small…
PAUL was too religious…
TIMOTHY had an ulcer… AND
LAZARUS WAS DEAD!!!!
Remember—God loved each of them. And remember that God loves you and me, particularly when we pray, when we have heartfelt conversations with the Lord. David prayed the prayer of contrition.
In I Chronicles 4:9-10, we have the short prayer of Jabez which became the basis of a best seller in Christian bookstores. Jabez calls on the God of Israel saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from hurt and harm!”
This is a prayer of an individual for God’s blessings, God’s extending of territory and influence; a prayer asking that God’s hand be upon them, and that God’s protection surround them. It is a beautiful prayer tucked deep in the genealogy lists of I Chronicles. It is a wonderful prayer of an individual to God, as is the prayer of David in Psalm 51.
When we turn to Jesus’ prayer that he taught us in Matthew 6, it is more corporate. But we still need to remember that the corporate prayers, like individual prayers, are offered to God and God alone.
The story goes that one time when Bill Moyers was a special assistant to President Lyndon B. Johnson, he was asked to say grace before a meal in the family quarters of the White House. As Moyers began praying softly, the President interrupted him. “Speak up, Bill! Speak up!”
The former Baptist preacher from east Texas stopped in mid-sentence and without looking up replied steadily, “I wasn’t addressing you, Mr. President.”
I have a ruling elder friend whom I love to invite to pray. His prayer is always gentle and quiet and intimate. When he prays, it is as if we are on holy ground. This friend is a recovering alcoholic with a PhD in chemical engineering and, when he goes before God, you have to lean in to eavesdrop on his conversation with the Lord.
When we pray, we are talking to God. And when we wonder about the right way to pray, we must turn first, not to the prayer of King David or the prayer of Jabez, but to the prayer of Jesus.
Jesus warned us not to pray in order to be seen by others. That is hypocritical. He did teach that prayer that pleases God is offered in such a way as to be seen by God and not by people. Whether in secret, in a closet, in our bedroom, in our office behind a closed door, in an empty sanctuary, the main idea is to pray in secret.
I have had the joy of mentoring 27 seminary students during my ministry. One of those, Christina Cosby, was a member of First Presbyterian in Lynchburg. She completed her degree at Princeton Seminary and was ordained as a minister of the Word and Sacrament. Christina, who is legally blind, is the Representative for Domestic Issues and Environmental Justice with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness in Washington, DC. In her faith statement, Christina describes her daily faith practices.
Each morning, I have coffee on my patio as I pray, read scripture, and participate in a daily devotional that changes from month to month. After I pray, read, and study scripture I turn to the news, both world and local, before returning to prayer. The first segment of prayer is focused on centering my thoughts and personal needs, the second segment is focused on the world around me and its needs.
Jesus teaches in the Lord’s Prayer that prayer is not only to be seen by God but heard by God. Avoid vain repetitions. One commentator said, “The heathen tried to tire out their gods with endless prayers. Mere formulas were repeated over and over again.” Some repetition is good. But vain, insincere, long-winded prayers do not impress God. Notice how brief and yet how powerful the prayer of Jabez is.
Another thing we learn from Jesus’ teaching in the gospel of Matthew is that prayer should be offered according to a certain pattern. When Jesus says, “Pray in this manner,” he is teaching us to follow a particular pattern and not to allow the prayer to become ritualized to the point where it has no meaning.
Have you ever tried changing the plural pronouns in the Lord’s Prayer to the first-person singular? ”My Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name… Give me this day my daily bread. And forgive me my sins as I forgive everyone who has sinned against me… Lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil?” The Lord’s Prayer is a corporate prayer but it is very, very personal.
What is the pattern of prayer we learn from Jesus? First, simplicity. Carefully chosen words, not too many, but just enough to let God know we are sincere. Then, in its content, proper prayer includes:
1. Reverence for God and God’s name.
2. Prayer for the progress of God’s Kingdom and will on the earth.
3. Asking God to provide physical necessities.
4. Asking God to meet our spiritual needs.
5. Praising God.
Jesus concludes his teaching by insisting that believers offer prayer in a spirit of mercy, letting an attitude of forgiveness permeate our hearts. Is that the attitude you and I have as we pray? Do we expect forgiveness? Do we extend forgiveness?
We pray, “Lead us not into temptation” or “Save us from temptation; save us from times of trial.” Dr. Myron Augsburger says, “The prayer asking to be delivered from the evil one is a recognition that we will not totally escape temptation, but we will ask God to deliver us when we are being tempted.”
The final phrase, “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever,” does not appear in Matthew or Luke, which are the two places in the New Testament where the Lord’s Prayer is recorded. Other ancient authorities include this phrase and it has been added down through the millennia.
When I was taking my ordination exams in 1982, one of the questions was: “Most modern translations of the Lord’s Prayer do not include the traditional concluding doxology, ‘for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.’ If you were preaching a series on the Lord’s Prayer, would you preach a separate sermon on this doxology?”
I looked in my files and found my Bible ordination exam from February 1982. I answered, “Yes, I would include a separate sermon on this doxology.” I explained in my answer that God did not handwrite the Bible but inspired those who did write it down. I explained that, down through the ages, new discoveries are being made and manuscripts found that do include this doxology. I had other reasons for supporting a separate sermon on this final phrase. The person who graded this part of my Bible exam gave me an “F” and wrote in big letters, “The point is that none of the ancient manuscripts have it!!” On the whole, this examiner gave me a “C-” for my understanding and grasp of the Bible. Whew! I am grateful I made it. That was 42 years ago and I would still preach a sermon on this final doxology in the Lord’s Prayer.
Jesus taught us the right way to pray. We pray his prayer each week as we gather at Second Pres or worship online. We pray corporately, at a pace and volume set by the worship leader. This morning, as we conclude this sermon, would you pray the Lord’s Prayer with me? But this time, I invite you to pray this prayer at your own pace. Pray it aloud, but softly, as if you are in your quiet place. Feel free to pray using the language with which you are most familiar—English, Spanish, French, Telugu, Portuguese, German, Swahili, Cherokee. When the sanctuary becomes silent, I will close the prayer.
As our Prayer of Commitment, let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us, saying…
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.