Prayer is one of the most important elements of our Christian life. It is the way we commune with our creator, seek forgiveness for sins, plead for help, ask that our needs be met, and align our hearts with God. It does not require any special skills, just a willing heart and some time. Yet, it is one of the most overlooked, under-planned, skipped and rushed parts of our lives.

A little over a year ago I became burdened to teach children how to pray. I was convinced by what I saw and heard that children simply do not know how to pray. The more I listened though, I became convinced that it isn't just the kids but Christians in general are missing the boat with their prayer lives.

Think about the way we pray in Sunday School, small groups, or prayer meetings. Our prayers are very man centered. Most of what we do centers around the taking of and praying for prayer requests. While there is nothing wrong with that per se, when we look at how Scripture teaches us to pray, prayer requests are such a tiny portion of what prayers should be.

In my desire to teach children to pray, The Lord led me to what I believe Scripture gives us as the clear mandate for how we are to pray—it's what we know as the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11.

This is how Jesus chose to teach us how to pray:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Why do I believe that the Lord's Prayer is the biblical mandate for the way we should pray? Let me share several reasons:

1. Christ's command. Before Christ teaches this prayer in Mt. 6:9, He says, "After this manner therefore pray ye:" The word there for pray is in the present imperative—this is a command. Essentially, "You must pray in this manner."
2. Christ's response. In Luke 11 the disciples came to Jesus and specifically asked Him to teach them to pray, and what was His response? The Lord's Prayer.
3. Christ's repetition. These two passages are not parallel passages. These are two distinct occasions when Christ taught on prayer, and both times He gave the Lord's prayer.
4. Christ's example. With the obvious exception of confessing sin, the elements we find in the Lord's Prayer are prominent in the prayers that Jesus Himself prayed.

So, if there is such a clear biblical mandate, why don't we pray this way?

1. Maybe we see it as a kid's prayer. It is something I memorized as a kid; it doesn't have relevance to me as an adult.
2. Maybe we see it as liturgical—Some people use it in liturgy or as vain repetition in penance for sin. We know this is wrong, so maybe in a desire not to pray that way, we have shied away from the Lord's Prayer.
3. Maybe we just haven't taken the time to learn and understand it.

As we examine the Lord's Prayer in several articles, I challenge you to examine your prayer life. Take up the challenge to pray the way Jesus taught us to pray.

Bryan Miller, B.A.
Children's Pastor