All this year we have been focusing on the accounts of our faith. Now this month we are focusing on living according to those accounts. And this weekend we focused on prayer as a way to live our faith. We learned about what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer.

When the disciples went to Jesus in this weekend’s account, they were looking for the right way to pray. In many ways prayer had become a contest among some Temple leaders. For many Temple leaders, their teachings and prayers had to be bigger and better than anyone else’s. Sometimes they would go on for hours, trying to “out pray” the others. So we see that when the disciples went to Jesus they were looking to Jesus, their leader and teacher to show them the best way to pray.

When Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer to his followers, the point was not that these were the only words to be prayed. The point was that prayer should be between individuals and God. Prayer should not be said to impress other people.

The beauty of the Lord’s Prayer is its simplicity. Jesus said that when we go to God in prayer He knows our heart and what we long to say before we even say it. So the purpose of our prayer should not be what we say, it should be a child coming to a loving parent to share his or her needs.

Jesus used a simple but very powerful name for God to help the disciples and us remember our relationship with God: “Our Father.” Jesus continued the prayer by honoring God and giving praise to God’s holiness.

This week as you interact with your children, be willing to share your prayer experiences with them. Also remind them that talking to God is a very important part of a Christian’s life, and that they can do it anytime, anywhere, and most importantly about anything.