The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray. – 1 Peter 4:7
Not that we can see into a person’s heart, but if we could, what we might find is a heart little devoted in prayer – a cold heart with concerns and worries, but no trust. A simple lesson: if you do not remember what you pray, then your prayer is not good. True prayer remembers the words and thoughts of the prayer from start to finish.
Someone working on a construction site must keep his thoughts in check, know precisely what he is doing, and have eyes clear on the task or he will mess up his work for himself and others or worse, hurt himself and others. Doing things well, therefore, requires concentration and the whole person involved and committed to the task at hand. A mind filled with many thoughts and running in a million directions at once rarely gets anything right or does anything well, but a mind focused on the task at hand will complete the task to satisfaction.
The same is true for prayer. It requires concentration, but not just of the mind but of the whole heart. So, as you pray, consider the Lord’s Prayer as a delicious feast. Eat and drink of it as if it is your only meal ever, for the Lord’s Prayer is the best prayer of all. And as you speak the words, consider what they mean and how the Lord’s perfect prayer is a reflection of His own heart for you.
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 trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
