By an undisclosed missionary
“The Lord’s Prayer” Matthew 6:5-15
Prayer should be the simplest part of our Christian walk. Just talk to God, and He will move on our behalf—right? Yet so many of us struggle to open our mouths for fear of not knowing what to
say. Or we feel crippled by the pressure to perform, like prayer is some kind of magic spell we might mess up if we get the words wrong.
But friend, these are tactics of the enemy, used to scare you away from using one of the most powerful weapons in your arsenal. Don’t take my word for it—let’s look at what Jesus Himself had to say about prayer in Matthew 6:5-14.
He tells us to pray in secret rather than public places. This isn’t to say that we should avoid praying out loud for someone who needs it, or scorn the idea of corporate prayergatherings. The point is the motive: effective prayer is driven by intimacy. Intimacy, by nature, is a performance for an audience of one.
Can you hear the tender whisper of your Heavenly Father speaking through Jesus as He bids us to meet Him in secret? “Come away with Me.” Like a lover stealing away with his bride to share a private moment—just the two of them—because that’s what makes it special.
If intimacy and connection are the goal, then how simple it becomes. Forget the words—they’re not the point. Even Jesus agrees: “Do not heap up empty phrases like the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” If He already knows, then it’s not about bringing things to His attention or trying to convince Him.
We claim to believe that God is love, but so often our lives reveal the chasm created by our mistrust. We treat Him more like a disappointed father or a cruel task master who only wants to use and abuse us. But those images couldn’t be further from the picture Jesus paints for us of His Father. It’s as though He’s saying “Shhh…it’s okay. I know what you need. Just come and be with Me. Forget the distractions and other people’s opinions. Just let Me hold you—and you will find that I’m already working it out for you.”
So if words aren’t the point, and the goal isn’t to convince God of something, then what is the purpose of prayer? I’ve heard so many versions of the Lord’s Prayer broken down like a guide to be followed—begin with praise, ask for needs, confess sins, etc.—and that’s not wrong. Of course our conversations with God should be marked by these things. But it falls short when we go through the motions like a workflow at a job. The goal isn’t to check the boxes, but to connect with the Almighty God of Heaven as His beloved children.
Let me rephrase that:
The God who is High King over all creation—all powerful with none who can stand against—is willing to let you call Him “Daddy” and ask Him for anything you need or want. Even when you’ve misbehaved or made a mistake. Even though every one of us is so entirely unworthy it’s absurd.
When I read the prayer Jesus gave us through this lens, and strip away the King James English, it sounds to me like the heartfelt cry of a child, so moved by the Father’s goodness that all they can say is, “Teach me to be like You!”
“To the One who is both my dearest Daddy and King of the universe—You are unbelievably amazing! No one else is like You, not even close. I want to see the whole earth become part of Your Kingdom family. May there be nothing left that doesn’t share in the goodness of Your glory. I want to be a part of making it so, but I need Your help.
Provide for my needs. Sustain me so I can stay focused on becoming more like You. I know I have so far to go, but if You can love me despite all my shortcomings, then I can learn to love others in their brokenness too.
Teach me how to recognize and refuse the lies and twisted patterns that aren’t Your design—because only Your design is wonderful and good! Nothing else is worth anything if it is apart from You. But I know You can make all things good, even when it seems impossible. And nothing can ever steal Your victory. I want to see it come to pass with my own eyes.”
Prayer was never meant to be about formulas or performance. There’s no such thing as “getting it wrong”—not if the heart is right. The only way to get it wrong is to miss the point, like the hypocrites. Jesus ends His teaching on prayer with this: when we forgive, that is what releases forgiveness to us. As we do this, we become more like Him.
To see Him, to love Him, and to desire to be like Him—that is the purpose of prayer. We are called to be changed so we look like Him, and to partner in the work of expanding His Kingdom outward until nothing is left that hasn’t been restored to glory.