Devotion - Thursday, Feburary 14

"Lord, teach us how to pray." 

This was the request from the Disciples which lead to Jesus offering what we have come to refer to as "The Lord's Prayer."  That prayer is an excellent model, it is a powerful tool, in understanding how it is and what it is that we might express to God.

If it has been a while since you picked up your Small Catechism and read the section on the Lord's Prayer, I encourage you to do so.  (Here is a hyperlink to The Small Catechism.)

The Lord's Prayer begins with an acknowledgement of how deeply God cares for us.  God loves us a parent loves their child.

The Lord's Prayer opens us to remembering God's goodness (give us this day our daily bread) before allowing us to turn to the things we would ask of God (Save us from the time of trial).

The Lord's Prayer acknowledges that the kingdom and the power and the glory are God's; that God is in a position to hear and receive our prayer.

As we begin these 40 days of Lent, returning to instructions on prayer is an appropriate starting point.  It is not easy to know how to pray; it is even more difficult to make sure that our day includes prayer.  It didn't just come natural to the Disciples, they had to ask Jesus to help them pray; why would we assume it comes naturally to us?

If you are looking for a place to begin, start by praying out loud, and very slowly, the Lord's Prayer.  Allow each petition to sink deep into your heart; ponder what each line is saying to you. 

Luther said that all one needed to do to understand all of Christian theology was to understand the 10 Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, and the Lord's Prayer.  The latter he associated with sanctification - with the process of living fully and deeply into the faith which has been given to us.  If, at the end of these 40 days of Lent, you have learned to pray the Lord's Prayer, your season will have been well spent.