Of all the prayers ever spoken, the one most remembered and most offered to God is the one taught by Jesus to his disciples, recorded in Matthew and known as the Lord’s Prayer.
“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, when ye pray, say,
Our Father, which 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 trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)
What is prayer? The dictionary defines prayer as the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness; to make a request in a humble manner: to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving.
To pray is to communicate with God. It is relating to God through his Son, Jesus Christ. God is always there, communicating his will to us. But are we listening? I like the term “active prayer,” where we are listening to God as we are speaking to him. This is complete prayer. We may not be able to listen while we are speaking, but we can hear God communicating his will for us through our minds. We do this by being quiet and listening with our minds, then speaking our prayers.
I believe that God will always answer our prayers. He may give us an answer right away, or he may let us know we must wait for the answer. But he will never ignore our prayers. Of this I am sure.
*from the introduction to my new book, Hallowed Be Thy Name, now available in print and Kindle eBook at www.amazon.com
Gene Groner, author and biographer geneallengroner@gmail.com
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