April 4, 2024

Today's Reading: The Lord’s Prayer

Daily Lectionary:Exodus 17:1-16, Hebrews 11:1-29

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Prayer is a conversation that God starts in His Word. This fact still surprises a lot of Christians. We tend to think that prayer is us sending our requests to God, and then hearing back nothing at all until something happens. That’s missing the very half of prayer that we need. God initiates the conversation with us. He has a lot to say to us. And it is written down in the Bible for us to read. And it’s there where the Lord teaches us how to pray.

In Divine Service settings One and Two, the pastor says right before we all pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:” These words come from the disciples in Luke 11:1. Jesus tells His disciples in the very next verse, “When you pray, say:” And He gives us the Lord’s prayer. Jesus teaches us how to pray with these words. And this prayer that Jesus gave us covers everything we could possibly need. Over the next few weeks, we’ll get a chance to look at those words in depth here on Thursdays.

But our Lord teaches us to pray, not just with these words, but with all the Words of Scripture. The Psalms are also known as the prayerbook of the Church. They’re the words that the Old Testament Church prayed. They’re the words that Jesus prayed. And we still pray those words today. In those Psalms, we have prayers for all kinds of places we find ourselves in life. There are prayers of joy, prayers of sorrow, prayers for being in need, prayers for repentance, prayers for endurance, prayers for overcoming our enemies, and prayers for our enemies.

We don’t just find prayers there either. Every place where the Lord has made a promise to us is a place where we learn how to pray. For our Lord wants us to pray to Him and ask for the things that He has promised to give. In that way, all the Bible is our prayer book. And we can expect the Lord to answer ‘yes’ when we ask for what He has promised to give. Every part of the Lord’s prayer calls upon a promise of God. And He fulfills his promises.

Therefore pray. Pray as the Lord has taught us. Pray as the Word of God teaches us. Pray, because prayer is a conversation that God starts in His Word, and He wants to talk to you. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

- Pastor Eli Davis is pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

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