Lord's Prayer and Ours

Matthew 6:9 - "Pray, then, like this: Our Father who art in heaven..."

For some, prayer seems to come naturally. They enjoy a closeness with God that requires no special words or posture or place. Others find it more difficult to pray, to express their inmost thoughts and cares to God. Jesus' disciples noticed the difference prayer made in his life, and they wanted something of what he had. They asked him to teach them to pray. In this connection, I like what Len Sweet has written.

"The Lord's Prayer, as taught by Jesus in Matthew 6, is really the prayer Jesus gave his disciples to pray. We can call it "The Lord's Prayer" only if the point is not to say it but to become it. Our greatest ambition in life should be to become a Lord's "pray-er," to have everything we think, say, and do be dedicated and offered to God as a prayer of sacrifice and praise.
"So this is prayer: Turn Off, Turn On, Tune In, Fine Tune, and Stay Tuned." - Leonard Sweet, A Cup of Coffee at the Soul Café, Broadman & Holman, 1998.