Fine China

When I was a kid and would visit my Grandma's house, she had a china cabinet. Believe it or not, I've never been light on my feet. Whenever I would walk or run by the china cabinet, it would shake. It didn't take me long to figure out that the china and the cabinet were super important, super valuable to her. A china cabinet is like a trophy case for dishes! It would only come out on birthday's or special holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. You could never put it in the dishwasher, you had to hand wash it only.  Before you put it back in the cabinet, you had to make sure the china was clean and dry with no chips. And if it broke, it was a big deal!  Over time, it made me not want to even touch or get near the china cabinet. 

Sometimes, whether we realize it or not, we can view prayer the same way we do fine china. We think we can't get near it because it's delicate or only something we should use on special occasions. Maybe we're not even sure what exactly to use it for. But what if these feelings we have about prayer we’re never what God intended. A lot of us are familiar with the Lord's Prayer. It's probably the most famous prayer on the planet. Jesus tells us the Lord's Prayer after one of the disciples asks Jesus how to pray. 

Like us, the disciples wanted to know exactly how prayer works. They felt there had to be some magic formula for prayer to work. And just like us, they believed there is a right and wrong way to pray. In Matthew, we find Jesus telling us what to do and what not to do when we pray and it is revolutionary. 

“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why is that revolutionary? It is revolutionary because it is completely against Jewish tradition, it's the complete opposite of what the Pharisees and Sadducees believed, thought, and taught. For them, prayer was formal and had to be done in the right way on the right occasion. But Jesus is giving permission to approach God in a much more personal way. He is saying God is like a great father, a great Dad. It's like saying,"God you're awesome!" "You are an awesome Dad!" We have taken the Lord's Prayer and made it fine china, only to come out on special occasions. But when Jesus taught people to pray, he said it was for any and every occasion.

This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:9-13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Prayer should not be treated like fine china. Prayer is real talk, to a real God, who wants to be a real Dad to us. Who loves you through your messes, and who has loved me through my messes. Even if I break the china.

Russell