💥 When You Pray: Inviting God into the Shaking
The Foundations Are Shaking
Have you ever felt like your life is being shaken to its core? The things you’ve always placed your confidence in—your routines, your security, your plans—suddenly feel unsteady. It’s easy to assume this is chaos, but perhaps we need to see it differently.
Often, when our world feels shaken, it is actually God who has laid hold of the foundations with both hands. He is intentionally shifting our priorities, dismantling false confidences, and shaking our world to invite us into the deepest, truest thing we can know: His presence. He shakes things up so that we might more fully and completely know Him.
The Disciples’ Intrigue
It is fascinating to note what the disciples didn’t ask Jesus. They didn’t ask Him to teach them to preach, to perform miracles, or even to organize a movement.
Yet, one aspect of His life intrigued them, compelling them to ask: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
Jesus’s ministry was bookended by prayer. It was at His baptism that the heavens opened and the Spirit descended upon Him (Luke 3), and His last breath on the cross was a prayer, “Into your hands I commend my Spirit” (Luke 23:46).
If prayer was essential to the Son of God, then as His disciples, it is certainly essential for us. Scripture is filled with stories of God’s mighty exploits happening through the humble, earnest prayers of ordinary people. God is not a respecter of persons; He wants to work through you, too.
A Masterclass in Prayer
As we explore the phenomenon known as prayer over the coming weeks, we turn to the masterclass Jesus gave on the subject in Matthew 6. We commonly call it the “Lord’s Prayer,” but it is more aptly named The Disciples’ Prayer, because it is the prayer He taught us to pray.
Notice how Jesus begins: “WHEN you pray…” (Matthew 6:5).
He doesn’t say “IF you pray,” but “WHEN you pray,” establishing prayer as a given expectation for all who follow Him.
Bursting the Misconceptions
Before teaching us how to pray, Jesus first clears the path by addressing the obstacles and misconceptions we often carry:
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Don’t Pray Like Hypocrites (Matthew 6:5): Don’t pray out of religious activity or rote only to gain approval or “clout.” If your reward is people thinking you’re spiritual, then that is the only reward you will get. Prayer is a private, heart-to-heart conversation, not a public performance.
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Don’t Use Fluffy Words (Matthew 6:7): Stop trying to sound important or impress God with complex vocabulary and endless repetition. You cannot impress an all-knowing God, so stop trying! Talk to Him honestly.
This raises a profound question we will address soon: If God knows what we need before we even ask Him, why should we pray?
“Pray Like This…”
Having cleared the path, Jesus provides the framework for a life-altering conversation with God:
“Pray then like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…’”
Let’s spend time here, on the very first phrase:
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Who’s Your Daddy?: Jesus begins by naming the relationship: Father. This is the bedrock of Christian prayer. We do not approach a distant deity, but a loving, attentive parent.
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“Our” Father: The moment we call Him “Our” Father, the ramifications are staggering. We realize we are part of a vast, redeemed family. This truth should change the way we look at everyone else who prays the same prayer—they are our siblings.
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“In Heaven”: Our prayers are being directed to a Holy God whose location is heavenly. He is not just our Father; He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere at once. We approach Him with intimacy, but also with reverence for His holiness.
Prayer is not a religious chore; it is an invitation to intimacy with an all-powerful Father who is actively working in your life.
