Luther on Prayer
March 19th, 2009 by Todd JohnsonMartin Luther was once asked by his barber, “Dr. Luther, would you be willing to teach me how to pray?”. Luther replied that he would be delighted to help. With that, Luther retired to his quarters and penned a booklet especially for Peter entitled A Simple Way to Pray.
Luther’s practical suggestions for Master Peter:
1. Set aside time for prayer every day.
Because pressures frequently threaten to disrupt our prayer time, it is helpful to have a regular time or times scheduled.
2. Like Jesus, go apart to a quiet place where it would be easier to concentrate.
Luther told him: “Prayer is like your task as a barber. The last thing I want you to do is to have your mind wandering when you’ve lathered up my face and you take out that blade and start shaving me. I don’t want you to start wool-gathering and end up slitting my throat.”
3. Luther also recommended that Peter pray out loud.
There is something helpful about articulating communication to the Lord aloud. Luther suggested emulating Jesus, who prayed out loud when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane, even though He was by Himself.
4. Pray THROUGH the Lord’s Prayer.
There is an important difference between praying the Lord’s Prayer and praying through the Lord’s Prayer. To pray through the Lord’s Prayer is to focus attention on each of the petitions for a time. For example, instead of simply praying, “Hallowed be Your name”, I might say: “Lord, we live in an age where Your name is not only not revered or honored but it is used as profanity. Bring such an awakening to Your glory that no one would think of dragging Your name through the mud or treating it as common or trivial. Let it be on our lips and in our hearts as an expression of our adoration for You. Give me grace to always respect Your sacred name in my heart and with my lips.” Then, of course, I go on to the next petitions of the Lord’s Prayer: “Your Kingdom come. Your will be done..” Again, I expand on this thought, making it personal. Praying on through..
So.. there is a little practical advice to help each of us in the all important work of praying.
Any other thoughts or suggestions that have helped you in your prayer life? I’d love to hear.
I’ve been learning a lot about (and trying to put into practice) praying not just through the Lord’s prayer, but praying all sorts of scripture.
At the Men’s prayer this morning, Keith taught out of Psalm 86. Not a Psalm I was very familiar with, but wow – really great stuff. And what a great Psalm to pray through.
“Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.”
Praise God for the Psalms.
On another note – I heard you’re going to be teaching in Modesto this weekend. We’re going down there for a birthday party (Sarah’s family is all in Modesto). We got the okay to send our kids to church with Grandma so we can come be groupies.
For years I had the weekly mundane job of mowing my sweet mother-in-laws several acres. In the summer it was hot, in the fall dusty, in the winter…yada, yada…and it took hours!
Then a thought came to me … this time could be a time of worship and prayer. I could not hear a soul over the drone of the engine as I moved back and forth across her property. That tractor became a prayer tractor. No one could talk to me, (too noisy!), and suddenly I saw my situation quite differently. Nature was around me, God and I were working through life’s “stuff’ all while hiding away on a prayer tractor. I came to love that time alone with God.
Ken
I recently have taken up jogging and have had the same experience. What at first was a time of enduring for health reasons has become a precious time with the Lord.
Chris – I’m glad to know there will be at least a couple of familiar faces in Modesto. Word of warning – I’m going to be teaching do-overs in Philippians so you may be tuning me out.
See you in Mo-town.
Todd – you’re assuming we were listening the first time!
Kidding of course. Honestly the series has been so good that I’m looking forward to hearing some of it again.
Also, pretty sure you know this, but I’ll tell you anyways. We’ll be praying for you while you teach.
If you’re looking into the crowd, I’ll be the goofy looking one sitting next to the pretty girl.
Thank you Chris – I truly believe that the same message can be given with far greater effect when accompanied by the prayers of God’s people. I am blessed to know that will be taking place.
So you pray.. and I’ll keep my eyes open for goofy and pretty.
I like Martin Luther’s practical suggestions and I’ve used George Mueller’s practical prayer suggestions for a number of years now. He simply used his time in the Word to guide his prayer time. When something he was reading opened up to him, he would stop right then and pray about it…whether it was something that spoke to him personally or re: someone else in his life. Then he would just pick up and keep reading again… I love how simple it is.
Also, I think most people do this, but it’s worth mentioning…whenever I’m anywhere and someone comes to my mind out of the blue…I know it’s His Spirit prompting me to pray for them…I don’t discount it or explain it away. I just stop and pray! Then sometimes I’ll take another step and call them and let them know God put them on my heart to pray for them today and without fail something was going on and it encouraged them greatly. And I’ve been encouraged when people call me as well. Hope this helps.
Leslie~ Great suggestions! George Mueller is my hero!
I have been writing out my acclamations, confessions, thanksgiving and supplications for years. My supplications have been for my immediate family (which were written out each day) and then I would read and pray all the other prayer requests that I had written. I had a hard time focusing and when Luther talked about saying your prayers out loud I stared to do this with my pray requests. It really works, my mind does not wonder but it is hard listening to myself and not being too critical as I seem to ramble on and ask the say things each day. I know I am being obedient to what the Lord has called me to pray and He will honor those requests.
This morning I drove Highway 193 from Lincoln to Auburn screaming a prayer. As a result, I am hoarse. But I’m wondering if that’s an okay thing to do – scream a prayer. It didn’t feel like I was screaming at God, really, more like I was screaming at the stuff that has hold of a person I love very much and want to see set free in Christ.
Ya Crabby – I picture King David screaming a prayer from time to time. There’s a time to weep, there’s a time to kneel, there’s a time to be quiet and there’s a time to scream.
God knows best how to hear our prayers and how to answer them.
Thanks a million, Todd. I was worried after I hit the send key that people might read the blog and think I am insane. David did get pretty gnarly in his Psalms, didn’t he.
BTW – the study on fasting, priceless.
I testify – Mrs. Crabby is certifiably insane…in a precious sort of way. That’s one of the reasons I love her.
I find that we dance well together in the craziness of life because God is not some distant idea but He is real. Sometimes He is severe, sometimes He is comforting. Sometimes distant, sometimes intimate. But He is always God and He is always there.
I have read book after book, listened to sermons, and browsed many articles on prayer. There are so many wonderful tips out there (including this one from Luther) and they are wonderful tools. But the bottom line is relationship. Can I, will I trust God in all my circumstances? Just exactly how desparate/dependent on Him am I. I found that in my deepest, darkest hours I was talking to Him constantly. Asking for intervention, help, strength. It dawned on me one day, I am naturally in that state whether I recognize it or not. Now I am pleading with Him more and more for intervention, help, strength but with a calmer assurance that He knows what He is doing and I am becoming more yielded, humbled before Him at all times and in all ways.
I love to pray… but, there was a time like Todd shared in Post# 11: “I picture David screaming a prayer, etc.” It was when my darling mom was having trouble with her health, and the doctors could not find out what was wrong with her. This went on for months. This was some 25 yrs. ago. Then she was diagnosed, with what they now call alzheimers. I was devastated. Not wanting my family seeing me come apart, I would get into the shower, water running as fast as I could make it go, then SCREAM, & SCREAM!!! Crying, and asking God, WHY WHY WHY??? Then watching her beautiful mind go, her body deteriorate little by little was even worse. More CRYING & SCREAMING in the shower. I did not pray for over a year. Then my twin brother could see what was happening to me, and said, “You can’t go on like this. We should be thankful to the Lord for mom’s condition, she could be suffering with cancer.” It was like a light going off in my head and a healing in my heart. Needless to say, I went to the Lord, to ask His forgiveness, and started praying again. The Lord bless me with His wonderful love and peace of mind again.
Can I ever thank Him enough, NO, but I learned a hard lesson. That He is always there, caring and loving me. Which at the time of all the anger, I did not think he cared or loved me. I took my eyes off of Jesus, and I know now, that is what happen to me.
Gosh, I still cry, just writing this.. my mom and I were very close. “Irish you know”
Blessings…
TW~ Thanks for sharing…priceless.
TW – Isn’t God just…
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, TW. I’m part Irish, too.
Really? You’re part Irish? The things I learn when I read a blog!
I’ve always thought “Magnolia” sounded sort of Irish.
Mr. and Mrs. Crabby~~You guys are precious!
Don’t you think Ken’s prayer tractor is precious too? I just love the idea of a prayer tractor…
I’m pretty sure Ken just made that tractor story up.
Nice story though.
I am crushed. Simply crushed! I wanted a prayer tractor, or a backhoe…
Hey! The tractor story IS true. ( I am a farmer heart.)
“farmer heart?” “I am a farmer AT heart.” (Got up WAY too early today…
Oh, Farmer Heart – I just knew it had to be a true story! My faith is restored, my countenance refreshed!