Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Luke recorded, "One of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray.'" Luke 11:1, NKJV

Oh! Come on now! The disciples didn't know how to pray?
They were, after all Jewish men, so prayers were a part of their daily lives.
Examples of prayers of confession, petition, thanksgiving, praise, recollection and intercession are found throughout the Testaments. The practice of prayer was also observed in pagan societies.
Morning prayers were a normal ritual, as expressed by the Psalmist, "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (Ps. 5:1-3)
The psalmist's prayer demonstrates several elements of prayer. My dictionary suggests that to pray is to ask for interposition and judgment, to cry or call out, to seek (the face of) to request, to inquire, (of an oracle) to intercede, to pour out one's heart. To pray is also to ask humbly and earnestly, an act of adoration. John the Baptist taught his disciples a way of praying. The Pharisees made a show of public prayer. The disciples were emersed in a society steeped in prayer and prayers, and of practices both pious and pompus.
For one thing, the Pharisees publicly prayed loudly and long, wearing the prescribed phylacteries (small leather cases that contain four passages of old testament scriptures) one on the forehead, and the other on the left hand. (See Mt. 23:5)
The intended purpose for the phylacteries was to serve as a reminder of what the Lord had done for them by bringing them out of Egypt, and that "the Lord's law may be in your mouth." (Ex. 13:8-10; 16) In essence, these prayers were more "How great I am," rather than, "O LORD, how great Thou art!) Jesus denounced the practice.
Jesus obviously engaged in a type of prayer that differed quite noticeably from the practices in vogue. Rather than rote recitation (routine or repetition carried out mechanically or unthinkingly) Jesus' prayers were a two-way conversation with His Father. Each prayer was fitted to the need and the occasion. Jesus also prayed in the common Aramaic language, rather than the more formal Hebrew.
So, Lord, how do you do this? Teach us to pray like you do, rather than like what we have been seeing and doing.
Think about the "Model Prayer" as a framework, the skeleton for your petitions. Flesh it out; use it as an anchor, a blueprint, a starting point. Pray in a spirit of adoration and reverence. Express your longings for God's kingdom to come, share your joys and sorrows, plead for your needs (not wants.)
Pray in a spirit of forgiveness; to forgive and be forgiven.
Pray in a Spirit of praise. Pray!
January 21, 2007

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Wishes
* Scripture: Paul wrote, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26, NKJV)

One thing has always puzzled me about those folk tales and fables that involve granting of wishes. I’ve never heard of even one smart-alec wise-guy that wishes for a never ending supply of wishes. That would be number one on my wish list. Then, even if I blew a few on stupid things (as typically happens) I would have wishes to spare to get me out of trouble.
Desire without wisdom often leads to disaster. Many things that seem to be a good idea at first glance may bring unintended or unthought-of consequences.
A typical wish expresses the desire to acquire something that we do not have. Many wishes are for wealth. The legendary Phrygian king, Midas, wished for the power to turn everything he touched to gold. It was fun for a while to turn clothing and other objects to gold, but the king gave no thought about eating until his food also turned into uneatable gold. Midas loved his daughter very much, but one touch turned her to gold, cold gold, which is not the same as hugging a living girl. Alas! Poor King Midas.
In most stories, the final wish is used to correct the troubles caused by foolish requests, usually leaving the person a little wiser, but no better off than before the wishes were granted.
One story of this genre, The Fisherman and His Wife, tells how a fisherman catches and then frees a magic flounder, which of course can fulfill wishes. The wife first wishes for a nice cottage to replace the hovel they had been living in.
Tis aptly said that power corrupts, and the wife soon desires a castle, then a kingdom, an empire, and finally to be able to order about the sun and moon. The wish-granting flounder has had enough of the wife’s delusions of grandeur, and returns them to the hovel from which they started.
Pure desire is seldom tempered with wisdom, especially in fables, where the wish recipient has no one to counsel them, no instructions as to responsible wishing.
It is tempting to use prayer the same way wishes are used in fables, but covetness and raw desire should not be the subject of our prayers. Fortunately, the Bible provides a lot of guidance about using prayer. For example, Jesus said to His Disciples, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” (Luke 22:40) For what purpose, for what power, will we sell our soul? (Satan loses one battle - see Matthew 4:1-11)
We also have one power, one resource that I’ve not found in fable, and that is the Holy Spirit. The One who walks alongside us, and makes intercession for us. One who groans for us.
May our prayers ever be, “Not my will, but Thine.”
April 10, 2005

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Luke recorded, "One of His disciples said to Him, 'Lord, teach us to pray.'" Luke 11:1, NKJV

Oh! Come on now! The disciples didn't know how to pray?
They were, after all Jewish men, so prayers were a part of their daily lives.
Examples of prayers of confession, petition, thanksgiving, praise, recollection and intercession are found throughout the Testaments. The practice of prayer was also observed in pagan societies.
Morning prayers were a normal ritual, as expressed by the Psalmist, "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." (Ps. 5:1-3)
The psalmist's prayer demonstrates several elements of prayer. My dictionary suggests that to pray is to ask for interposition and judgement, to cry or call out, to seek (the face of) to request, to inquire, (of an oracle) to intercede, to pour out one's heart. To pray is also to ask humbly and earnestly, an act of adoration.
John the Baptist taught his disciples a way of praying. The Pharisees made a show of public prayer. The disciples were emersed in a society steeped in prayer and prayers, and of practices both pious and pompus. For one thing, the Pharisees publicly prayed loudly and long, wearing the prescribed phylacteries (small leather cases that contain four passages of old testament scriptures) one on the forehead, and the other on the left hand. (See Mt. 23:5)
The intended purpose for the phylacteries was to serve as a reminder of what the Lord had done for them by bringing them out of Egypt, and that "the Lord's law may be in your mouth." (Ex. 13:8-10; 16) In essence, these prayers were more "How great I am," rather than, "O LORD, how great Thou art!) Jesus denounced the practice.
Jesus obviously engaged in a type of prayer that differed quite noticeably from the practices in vogue. Rather than rote recitation (routine or repetition carried out mechanically or unthinkingly) Jesus' prayers were a two-way conversation with His Father. Each prayer was fitted to the need and the occasion. Jesus also prayed in the common Aramaic language, rather than the more formal Hebrew.
So, Lord, how do you do this? Teach us to pray like you do, rather than like what we have been seeing and doing.
Think about the "Model Prayer" as a framework, the skeleton for your petitions. Flesh it out; use it as an anchor, a blueprint, a starting point. Pray in a spirit of adoration and reverance. Express your longings for God's kingdom to come, share your joys and sorrows, plead for your needs (not wants.)
Pray in a spirit of forgiveness; to forgive and be forgiven.
Pray in a Spirit of praise. Pray!
January 21, 2007