Learning How to Pray, Part 1

‘When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  ‘Pray then in this way:
  Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name.
   Your kingdom come.
   Your 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 bring us to the time of trial,
     but rescue us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  

                                                                                Matthew 6

A long time ago I was taught that it was suspect to have written prayers - that would be praying "by rote." Later in life, when I began to understand that God was a real being who, amazingly, was actually interested in me and loved me beyond imagining, it seemed so natural just to talk to him about whatever was on my heart. The idea of me taking someone else's prayers and trying to pray them would be like taking someone else's notes on a Valentine card and giving it to my wife as if they were my own - how could I? To do that would be fake.

Of course, what I could never quite come to terms with was the idea that God gave us an entire book of prayers (they are called the Psalms), and Jesus told his disciples, "Pray then in this way...." and he goes on to give them a very specific prayer. Why was God giving us prayers for us to pray that weren't "from the heart?"

Loving God passionately where you gush out your thoughts to God in one continuous stream of praise and pleas is good and beautiful. But I have discovered that learning how to pray and letting God mold me means learning from him what to say and think even in my prayers.