simple words

When we pray it may be useful to follow this advice: Use simple words.  Simple words can express sincere truth and real needs in honesty and transparency.  When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He replied with a model prayer that used simple words which we know as the Lord's Prayer.  Clearly the Lord knows where we are and knows what we are going through but simple words may help us to identify and express our concerns, as well as our joys, so that as we hear ourselves say or think these expressions we are aligning with Him, with the God who is right here.  We don't need to impress the Lord with our knowledge of the Bible and we probably don't need to instruct Him.  We just need to come to Him in absolute surrender and sincerity and level with Him.  The great reality is that we "can" come to Him, just as we are and as we lift our words, which represent the cares and substance of our lives.  In doing this, we lift the sweetest of offerings to Him.  The Bible pictures our prayers as fragrant incense.  He cared so much to reach us that He sacrificed His Son so that we would lift our cares back to Him.

Matthew 6:7 "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
    as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
    as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don't let us yield to temptation,
    but rescue us from the evil one.

blessings,

Rob Smith