Why We Pray
What comes to your mind when you think about prayer? Depending on your tradition, it may be anything from an informal chat with God to a ritualized recitation. Does the Bible say anything about how we are to pray? What is prayer? Why do we pray? Can we expect God to answer or even to hear us? In Matthew 6:9-13 we find what is commonly called The Lord’s Prayer. Did He mean for us to recite it as some traditions do? Did he mean it as an outline of how our prayers should be structured? Or, did He mean it to be an example of the kinds of things that should be in our prayers? Is it all inclusive?
The above is taken from the introduction that I wrote before delivering the sermon. When I put the notes together I decided to use the version that appears in Luke 11 with its surrounding text. It was good for me to hear it again today, so I pray that it will also bless you. It was delivered in December of 2011. I hope my edges have smoothed a little since then.