Introduction To The Lord’s Prayer

The Lord’s Prayer - Introduction

There are good prayers and there are bad prayers. When we talk about the possibility of a prayer being good or bad, we have to come to terms with an uncomfortable truth about worship. Not all worship is good and acceptable to God. In fact, not every prayer is heard by God. Don’t believe me? God once told Isaiah to say this to the people:

Isaiah 1:15

“So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen.”

What did the people do that caused God to reject their prayers? Why offended Him so much that He “Hid His eyes” from them? Their worship was fake. They were going to the house of God without any love for Him in their hearts. When the time for worship came, they just went through the motions. Their rituals and prayer times had become chores.

They had lost sight of the fact that there was a real God who was waiting to meet with them; who offered a real relationship and real help with their real problems.

Have you ever been stood up for an appointment that was very important to you? Then you know how God felt. God was waiting for His people to come and enter into this fantastic interaction with Him but when they showed up, they really didn’t want to be there. Their hearts were somewhere else.

When we worship out of obligation instead of love, our worship turns into ritual. Our eye is focused on the task rather than the prize at the end of it. God says that our love is more important to Him than ritual. This verse in Hosea drives that point home:

Hosea 6:6

“For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

What does that mean? It means that if your prayers and worship are not from your heart, they are not leading you to God’s heart. They have become a wall, not a door. You have to find a way to get past that and find the true God who is waiting for your affection. He wants your love and obedience, not your rituals and traditions.

Isaiah 29:13

“...this people draw near with their words and honor Me with their lip service, but they remove their hearts far from Me, and their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote...”

He wants your love when you pray, not empty words and hollow actions. Open your heart and speak to Him. It will be the best decision you have ever made.