A prayer to pray

Jesus gave His disciples a prayer to teach them to pray.

"Pray then in this way:
Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus had just taught them not to pray on a stage, either before men or God. But He then gave them a prayer. Is this not just acting a role, as we repeat these words?

The difference is not in the outward issues of which words are said; the difference is in the heart. To pray for men to see comes from a heart that see men as an audience to impress. To pray in ways that are intended to manipulate God comes from a heart that sees God as an audience to impress. But this prayer is not meant to impress God or man.

This prayer is meant to change us.

This prayer is about the name of God; but we usually do not give this any thought. This prayer is about the kingdom of God; but we are more interested in getting things our way. We want things, but this prayer only seeks what is needed for today. We want forgiveness, but this prayer connects forgiveness with how we have forgiven others. We do not want trials, but this prayer seeks deliverance from what has overcome us.

This prayer gives an example of what prayer is meant to be; it stands in contrast to how we usually pray.

But Jesus gave this prayer without an extensive explanation of what it meant. He briefly emphasized the point about a just forgiveness , but more could be said about everything in this prayer. Yet this is what He did.

How can a prayer that we only understand in very limited ways change us?

This prayer can change us because it is the word of God: it is seed that can spout and grow in a good heart. This prayer can yield a harvest where it is nurtured.

This is the mechanism of how this prayer can change us; not through extensive theological examination of its meanings, but by growth. What seems like a small thing at one point in time can result in an abundant harvest.

As we simply do what He said to do, this prayer will unfold within us. These few words can become the outpouring of a changed heart.