July 3rd, 2024

Several years ago I felt like I was at the end of my rope and ready to throw in the towel on my faith. I had prayed for a relationship I hoped would turn into marriage only to see it blown apart right in front of me. I shared my frustrations with a friend who does not share my faith, and after listening to me complain against God he gently pointed out something very true about Christian prayer. “Maybe getting what you want isn’t the point of praying - maybe it’s about inviting God to change what you want.” I was gobsmacked - eventually, I conceded that he was right and thanked him for putting up with me. He still puts up with me actually, I’m very grateful.  

As much as the first half of the Lord’s Prayer quiets our distracted minds in the presence of God who calls us to himself - the second half of the Lord’s Prayer calms our anxious hearts by showing us that God’s will includes our good. It is interesting to note however that this prayer model corrects what many of us would consider to be our needs. Jesus taught us to pray for daily provision, forgiveness (received and extended), and guidance away from evil and temptation. This is good news for those of us who don’t often really even know what we need - God answers our prayers out of his goodness rather than our desires! 

What might it look like for you this week to allow God’s word to shape how you pray for your job, your family, or your desire for one? Jesus taught us to pray alongside God’s will for our good: the provision of daily needs, our assurance of his forgiveness, and his guidance away from evil and temptation. These broad categories don’t erase our other concerns, but they do structure them differently. As we go to the Lord in prayer throughout this week, let us do so remembering that he already knows what we need, maybe if we follow Jesus’ teaching here we will also learn something about our needs that we did not know before. 

—Matt Allhands