In 1535 Martin Luther wrote a wonderful letter to his to his friend and barber Peter Beskendorf, affectionally known as “Peter the Barber”. This letter was an attempt to encourage Peter in his prayers (it was later turned into a booklet entitled "A Simple Way to Pray" (see links below).
Here-in Luther specifically shared his practice and love for praying through the Lord's prayer. At one point he says,
Here-in Luther specifically shared his practice and love for praying through the Lord's prayer. At one point he says,
“My intention is simply to stir up and instruct your heart so that you may know what thoughts to lay hold of in the Lord’s Prayer. …This is the way in which I am accustomed to use the Lord’s Prayer and to pray. To this day I am still suckling on the Lord’s Prayer like a child and am still eating and drinking of it like an old man without growing weary of it. I regard it as the best of prayers.… What a pity it is that such a prayer by such a Master should be babbled and gabbled so thoughtlessly throughout the world! Many people probably repeat the Lord’s Prayer several thousand times a year, and if they pray like this for a thousand years, they will not have tasted or prayed a single jot or tittle of it."
When praying the first phrase of the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father who is in Heaven," Luther offers the following example:
“Dear God, Heavenly Father, I am a poor, unworthy sinner, not entitled to raise my eyes or hands in prayer to you, but I come because you have commanded us all to pray. Because you also taught us when and how to pray through your dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, you will hear us.
Thus I come trusting your gracious promise and, in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, I pray with all your faithful Christians on earth...."
Luther doesn't intend for us to copy his words exactly, any more than Jesus intended for us to merely recite His words.
“...I am not recommending all these words become part of your prayer, lest it could end up in vain babbling and empty chatter...but I want the heart to become excited about what kind of thoughts lay in the Lord's Prayer."
Luther is simply trying to give us an example of how one might begin with the theme of 'Our Father who is in Heaven.'
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF
- What does Luther mean when he said, "To this day I am still suckling on the Lord’s Prayer like a child and am still eating and drinking of it like an old man without growing weary of it."?
- How might we be guilty of 'vain babbling and empty chatter'?
- How might you put Luther's example of praying 'Our Father who is in Heaven' in your own words as a prayer to God?