One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

He said to them, “When you pray, say. . . (Luke 11:1)

When the disciple asked Jesus to teach all of them to pray, that disciple had just witnessed Jesus himself returning from prayer to his Father. Like the companion of a prince, the disciple, whose main desire was to obtain an acquaintance with the King himself, asked the King’s son for a way to approach his father. Perhaps surprisingly, Jesus responded instantly, not with rituals or preliminaries, like, ”First you must find a place to be alone,” or “First you must clear your thoughts, or make a sacrifice, or enumerate your sins.” Instead, Jesus gives the disciples actual words, the very words his Father wishes go hear from them. It is an utterly unique gift given by the son to shape for his friends a spiritual position by which to approach his Father. It has lasted for over two thousand years and will undoubtedly last until the end of time for the whole world.

Jesus spoke often of his Father, disguised in parables as the owner of a vineyard, or as the father of a prodigal, or the master of a great banquet, and others; but in this prayer, a direct and simple response to a disciple’s request, Jesus began by addressing his Father as “Our Father”, an address that would resonate all the way to Jesus’ resurrection, when Jesus told Mary Magdalene, “Go. . . to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 29:17) In a way, these words put a seal upon the Lord’s Prayer, as well as on much of Jesus’ other teachings to the disciples, and also to us.

The Lord’s Prayer has been my “go-to” prayer when I am at a loss as to how to pray. I’ve given it to others some times, when they say, “I don’t even know how to pray!” It is Jesus’ personal answer to such a cry, and, while all prayer is the language of hope, simply by being directed to the One who fulfills all hope, this prayer is immediate enough and personal enough for everyone seeking God’s presence in his or her life.

The Lord’s prayer is an invitation to join the family of God and Jesus by acknowledging God’s Fatherhood of us. It is an invitation to all hope. In spite of all the differences among Christians, the Lord’s Prayer is still the very language of hope throughout the world.

Love in Him,

Prue