Lesson 9 - Notes for Confirmands
On PRAYER, including the Lord’s Prayer
PRAYER is communicating with God, either out loud or in thought – a way of attuning our innermost being to a higher consciousness. Leunig calls ‘common prayer’ a ‘small, ancient, wonderful, free-form, do-it-yourself ritual of connection, love and transformation’.
It seems to be part of human beings’ survival instinct to seek guidance and reassurance from a higher level of consciousness. At some time in their lives, most people also feel a deep longing to be in touch with the all-embracing love that we (sometimes not till later) recognize as divine and that nourishes our spirit like ‘daily bread’.
Not being in touch with what we call spirit and soul – our inner world – leads to feeling empty and unfulfilled. Much of the enormous misery, loneliness and alienation felt by so many today comes from loss of connection with the revitalising power of ‘spirit and soul’. We can reconnect through prayer.
While prayer is traditionally thought of as talking to God, different ways of communicating with the higher power are called:
asking for something for ourselves –
petition or supplication
asking for something for someone else – intercession
also in song, poetry or chanting
adoration, reverence, worship
Then there is being silent, meditating, listening for answers.
Points to remember:
♦ It is wise to pray for the highest good of all concerned. While selfish prayer may also be answered, it can do great harm. We are most effective when free of personal agendas. Note that our thoughts, beliefs and intentions act like prayers, too, going out into the earth’s energy field, which tries to give us what we want. What messages our requests are we sending out? Could what happens to us be largely a result of how we think and what we believe, rather than an ‘act of God’?
♦ When praying, don’t tell God what to do. His power working is us ‘can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine’ (Eph. 3:30), as The Force knows and can access all the infinite resources of the universe, whereas our own experience and viewpoint are very limited. Be open to different and much more imaginative answers than you expect. After you pray, pay attention to what happens next and see it as part of the answer, since a response begins at once.
♦ Have faith in the boundless love of God. Even rough patches and suffering have their value (and don’t mean that God is not listening or doesn’t care.) Looking back later, you may well understand that you needed the lessons the tough times brought: to learn patience, trust, unselfishness, perseverance, strength of character or whatever. We can grow and mature through hardships, so give thanks for them too, even if you don’t understand why yet.
♦ The outer form of prayer is not so important. Attitude, sincerity and content are what matter. Rituals and particular postures, such as kneeling, folding hands, closing eyes, bowing one’s head, etc. may help people to focus their thoughts and feelings, but are of secondary importance in themselves, since hypocrites can also go through these motions.
♦ Meaningful and rewarding prayer can be learnt by patient, honest and trusting practice. As we learn to communicate more easily with higher consciousness and listen to our intuition, we grow in spirit and in truth, discover new insights and often great joy and are given strength and courage to master life’s tasks and survive serious challenges.
♦ However, once in touch, we don’t automatically stay close to God. Human experience shows that we need to remember continually to ‘connect our plug’ to the divine current and keep our loving energy high every day if we want to live richly fulfilled lives. Even Jesus often sought his ‘Father in heaven’ with all his heart in intimate communication, e.g. when he needed guidance or strength to do justice to the tasks he had to carry out.
♦ We can pray in private or with others. Privacy is often preferable. ‘The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful’ (James 5:16). Praying in a group ‘with one accord’, when each member is focussed on the subject, can be even more powerful.
♦ Prayer for someone or something can be effective regardless of the time or distance involved. There are now studies that confirm this.
♦ To pray effectively, we must be clear in ourselves and not harbour anger or resentment. For clarity and inner peace, it is vital to forgive, and to ask for and to accept forgiveness.
♦ We can pray any time. It is good to start the day, and any new endeavour, with prayer, and to give thanks often. While God does not need our thanks, ‘counting our blessings’ is good for us and helps us develop a positive attitude, which is good for our health.
The LORD’S PRAYER, the main prayer of Christians, has been translated into more than 2,000 different languages and is known all over the world. It can be found in Matt. 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-13.
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name,
Your Kingdom come,
Your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive
those who sin against us.
Lead us when in temptation and
deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are yours forever.
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer is well structured and comprises:
1. An address or introduction
2. Worship, and requests for the coming of the kingdom of heaven.
3. Requests concerning daily life
4. Requests for deliverance from temptation and evil.
5. A hymn-like conclusion
(1) Our Father
‘Our Father’ characterises a loving, caring, forgiving and encouraging force or energy which is there for each individual person. But God is also the one Father of all His children, of all mankind, of all creation – ‘our’, not ‘my’.
in heaven
God is not confined to earth like we are; ‘in heaven’ reminds us that, although we can have a personal relationship with the Father, respect and reverence are appropriate.
(2) hallowed be Your name
God’s name is holy. Don’t use ‘God’, ‘Jesus’ or ‘Christ’ as swear words.
Your kingdom come – God’s kingdom is a state of high and loving, harmonious consciousness from which right action flows. This ‘kingdom’ is the central theme of Jesus’ teaching, and also of the Lord’s Prayer.
Your will be done on earth as in heaven – we believe the will of the ‘Father in heaven’ is a spiritual power governing the whole universe. As individuals and collectively, we are given the opportunity to consciously help carry out that will with our own unique gifts and talents and by our thoughts, actions and the way we interact with the world around us. (This makes us co-creators with God).
(3) Give us today our daily bread
Man does not live by bread alone, but he cannot exist for long without food. Starving people cannot concentrate on the kingdom of God because of their hunger. Neither can well-off people eat more than a certain amount in a day.
The message is to live in the present. Give your undivided attention to this day, to all it brings for you and demands of you. Do the same when tomorrow becomes today. Worrying about something way in advance is a waste of precious energy: besides, it may never happen. Plan, but then trust your Father’s bountiful mercy. He will help you cope day by day. Could ‘daily bread’ also include nourishment for our soul, like beauty, music, love?
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us is a demanding and far-reaching request. It points to a high level of spiritual maturity, where we can forgive even our enemies, extending to them the consideration and unconditional care we receive in such rich measure from our Father in heaven. (People we think of as enemies are His beloved children, too!)
The driving force is God’s forgiveness towards us. When we experience this and the overwhelming love behind it, we become motivated to do likewise and forgive those who wrong us. Forgiving lifts a great psychological load and allows healing to occur, it allows us to move on.
(4) Lead us when in temptation and deliver us from evil
Temptation is ever present for all of us. People of all ages and from all walks of life have unloving, destructive tendencies. Everyone is tempted to retaliate when he thinks another has done him wrong, but that only escalates aggression.
If we pray for and are granted both the willingness and the ability to forgive others, then we are freed from the temptation to become evil ourselves.
Those not ready to forgive, who give in to the temptation to take revenge, commit more evil and add to the conflict in their own mind and in the minds of their adversaries, making inner and outer peace, and the kingdom of God, impossible.
The request concerning temptation and deliverance from evil applies to the individual and to the whole of humanity, whose collective attitudes and behaviour will determine whether we have a future on earth.
(5) For the kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours for ever
This affirmation rounds off the Lord’s Prayer with worship and praise.
(6) Amen = ‘so it is’ or ‘so shall it be’ and is a powerful affirmation
Lesson 9 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR CONFIRMANDS