Saturday, August 14, 2010
Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."
PRAY BOLDLY
When you were young, do you remember how boring it was to sit and listen to adults visit with one another? When company would come over to our house we children would think, "They're just talking. How can they enjoy that?" As adults, however, we learn to appreciate good conversation, and parents who are around their little ones all day may occasionally even crave more grown-up visiting time.
Not all conversation is easy, though, even as adults. Sometimes we talk to people who seem grumpy or angry with us, and then the visit may not go well. Perhaps we find it hard to talk with someone who does all the talking and doesn't let us get in a word edgewise. Not every conversation is as relaxed and free as one we might have with our best friend.
There is one conversation, though, that ought to be part of your everyday talk, and it need not be strenuous or difficult. It is your conversation with God. In commenting on the Lord's Prayer, Martin Luther emphasized how natural and simple it is for the Christian to approach His God. He said, "God would tenderly urge us to believe that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children, so that we may ask Him confidently with all assurance, as dear children ask their dear father."
How can we be so bold? Because we are indeed God's holy children. Jesus' life given on the cross has paid our debt of sin and guilt to the Heavenly Father and has cleansed us in His sight. Therefore we can stand before Him without fear. Were it not for Jesus, of course, we could not be so bold as to ask the Almighty for a scrap of bread, but with Christ we can even say, "Give us this day our daily bread!"
