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Sep 22, 2023 18:30pm

Addressing Our Prayers

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At my school, you couldn’t wait to be in 5th grade. Every kid was pumped about Mrs. Garrett’s class. Sure, she was a great teacher and there were some cool things to learn, but the excitement stemmed from one thing – the Wee Deliver System.

This was a concept dreamed up to teach students several valuable lessons: responsibility, how the mail system works, and even how to write a letter.

The 5th graders were the postal workers. Everyday, new mail carriers were selected and they would go pick up the mail from other classrooms. They’d come back with bags of letters and then hand them off to the sorters. The sorters, well, I think that’s pretty obvious, but they sorted the mail by classroom. Each class had their own box. Then, the mail carriers were back on their way to deliver the new mail to each class.

We used real stamps that you could buy in the office for a penny. Having cool stationary was a must! And I’m pretty sure I even sprayed a little of my mom’s perfume on a letter or two that was to be delivered to a cute boy.

There was nothing like it. The excitement you would feel when you got a letter – it was awesome. You’d tear open the seal and pull out the paper. And there, at the top of the page, just a few words, but they held so much significance.

“Dear Yalanda…” or “Hey” or if it was really special, “Hey Sweetie”.

However it was addressed, it set the tone for the rest of the message. But there was no mistaking who this letter was intended for.

It was addressing me.

“And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
Luke 11:2

We’re starting our study through Luke 11 with our focus on prayer. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray and we’re going to follow along and break down the key elements Jesus used as He taught them.

A lot of people call this prayer the Lord’s prayer. While Jesus did speak these words, He wasn’t saying you must pray this prayer exactly like this, He was giving them an example to follow or a model prayer.

If you struggle in prayer, you’re not alone. If you’re like me, maybe you get easily distracted with your mind going a million miles an hour. One minute you’re praising Him and the next you’re thinking of that stupid thing you said last week. Or maybe it’s hard for you to find the words to say. You feel like your words aren’t perfect enough for God. Let me reassure you, it’s okay.

So, where do we start?

Jesus said, “Our Father which art in heaven”. Sounds a lot like the beginning of our letters, doesn’t it? This is us addressing our prayer. We open communication by stating who we are praying to.

But notice how Jesus addresses this. “Our Father”. Is that how you see God? Think of all the attributes of a Father. Loving, caring, providing, authority, friend, confidant, compassionate… maybe you can list a few more.

Do you see God in this way?

In this opening, we are stating that we recognize who He is and all that comes with it- all of the attributes that come with being a Father.

And then, He says, ”in Heaven”. Another indication of His authority over us, but even deeper than that. This is a declaration of God’s Lordship not just over our lives, but the world.

Jesus then says, “hallowed be thy name.” Or “your name is holy”. This statement wraps up who our prayer is addressed to by stating His divine nature. God is Holy. He is perfect, different from anything or anyone else that would dare call themselves a god. He is righteous and set apart.

What names come to mind when you think of God? In Bill Elliff’s book, “Simply Prayer”, he says, “I carry several names that describe me: Bill Elliff, husband, dad, granddad, pastor, writer. You can go through my names quickly. But God‘s names are inexhaustible. That’s why the Bible (and our heart when we meditate on Him) is filled with a multitude of names. These are given to help us understand His nature, but also to verbalize our praise in prayer.”

Today, let’s focus on this one opening line in our prayer and listen as the Holy Spirit brings to our minds all the names of God. Feel free to share those in the comments.

“and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6