Shorter Catechism Qs. 101–102
Q. 101. What do we pray for in the first petition?
A. In the first petition, which is, “Hallowed be thy name,” we pray, That God would enable us and others to glorify him in all that whereby he maketh himself known; and that he would dispose all things to his own glory.
Q. 102. What do we pray for in the second petition?
A. In the second petition, which is, “Thy kingdom come,” we pray, That Satan’s kingdom may be destroyed; and that the kingdom of grace may be advanced, ourselves and others brought into it, and kept in it; and the kingdom of glory may be hastened.
+++
If you are struggling to pray (and who isn’t?) let me encourage you to think more about the Lord’s Prayer than less. After all, Jesus taught us the Lord’s Prayer to help us to pray. We should never be hesitant to come to Jesus when we are struggling, and nowhere is this more important than in our prayer.
Sadly, many Christians have an ambivalent attitude towards the Lord’s Prayer. It is not that we do not know that Jesus himself taught it to us. The problem is that we have been taught that rote, repetitious prayers are bad, and that we should avoid them at all costs. Jesus certainly did not want us to babble when we pray. Many words will not incline God to hear us more (Matthew 6:1ff.). Still, as sound and important as that warning against bad prayers is, it can stifle our prayers also. There is certainly nothing wrong with reciting the Lord’s Prayer regularly in our prayer. In fact, it can be very helpful.
First of all, there are times when my heart is too weary to pray. It’s ironic, isn’t it? When I am weary, I should pray more. But the reality is that when I am weary, prayers don’t come easily. So I find great comfort in this; Jesus does not abandon me when I can’t pray well. Remember how the Spirit prays for us (Rom 8). Some days, the only thing I can manage to do say, “Lord, I am worn. I have nothing. Let this (the Lord’s Prayer) ascend to you as my prayer.” And I know my Father hears me. Do not hesitate to make regular use of the Lord’s Prayer!
Secondly, our prayers languish when our prayers are only about the needs that are pressing in on our individual lives. However real and urgent our needs are (and God certainly cares about them!), when our prayers are only about those things, prayers become stilted. Our souls can’t survive on such impoverished diet. We were made to thrive when we seek “his kingdom and righteousness first.”
The Lord’s Prayer is so very helpful for this. And one way we can benefit greatly from it is by taking some time to linger on each petitions of the Lord’s Prayer. Perhaps you can linger on one petition of the Lord’s Prayer each day? That is, on Monday you can focus on “Hallowed be thy name” and all that it implies, as Shorter Catechism Q. 101 explains. Pray that in all we do we might glorify him, that all things in our home, work, and church would bring him glory. Perhaps you can then think about some specific circumstances you are facing at home, work, or church, and ask the Lord to show you how to give him glory in them.
Then on Tuesday you can linger on the second petition, “Thy kingdom come,” and pray about all that is implied in this petition. Q. 102 gives us some great ways to think about this petition. How is Satan working against God at this moment? Pray that the Lord will tear down Satan’s stronghold and expose his schemes. Pray that you can be the faithful citizens of his kingdom. So on and so forth.
Thus when we pray the Lord’s Prayer like this, the horizon of our prayers will stretch farther and wider than we are used to. And as God’s cosmic reign becomes the building blocks of our prayer, our prayers will begin to take on a new depth.