Do We Say It or Do We Pray It?

I don’t remember exactly when I came to this realization, but when it occurred, it changed so much of my life that it comes to mind literally every day. It was but a shift in one word, but that one-word change made all the difference in the world. And it all revolves around something that is not even in the scriptures, and yet is in today’s text from Jesus’ Sermon on the mount.

Honestly, I feel as though I am being a little too particular, maybe, but the older I get and the more that I grow in my faith, I actually think this distinction is even more important than when I first realized the difference.

What could this concern? Shifting from the word “say” to the word “pray.” Oftentimes, we will catch ourselves or others in a group calling everyone’s attention to follow Jesus’ command by saying, “And now, let us SAY the Lord’s Prayer.” Why does this matter, this difference between “say” and “pray?”

Well, before we get into this too much further, let’s take a look at Jesus as found in Matthew 6:9-13 -

“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.”

To simply “say” the Lord’s Prayer is to see it as something we gotta do. The simple act of “saying” something involves no passion, no emotion, no attachment, no connection. Whether something on a screen or written out or anything of the sort…

I came to this realization one day when approaching the Lord’s Prayer and just stopped, with this coming to mind: “Is this all there is to the Lord’s Prayer? Is this just something I’m saying?”

Here in the Sermon on the Mount, which is not the only place where we see Jesus instructing the disciples in what we know now as the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus has spent the previous few verses talking about how prayer is misunderstood and misapplied in practice, offering warnings about the same. Here, though, his tone shifts to one of careful instruction.

Far more than simply being a rote prayer for the faithful to use as part of practicing the Christian faith, Jesus is moving from warning folks what not to do; instead, he is inviting them to follow his lead. Through being particular, Jesus is pointing the hearer to the truth that prayer is not only essential, but that we are not left to simply figure it out on our own. In no way am I saying that we must pray only this prayer - although the more I grow in my faith, the simpler my prayer life has become. Rather, I am saying that sometimes we might do well to consciously engage with the text of this sacred prayer to ensure we are not looking at this simply as ‘part of the deal’ with form but not function.

Now, don’t get me wrong - I do believe there is a lot to be said to using the Lord’s Prayer as a pattern to discover a life of prayer. In fact, it’s what I pray with Anna Catherine each night when I tuck her in - she likes to alternate lines with me. She also is at that stage where she likes to pray before our meals, and sometimes she prays the Lord’s prayer instead of a usual table prayer. While we haven’t gotten too deep on the theology with her, we are confident the practice is being used by God to shape her life and faith even at four years old.

I also think a gift of the Lord’s Prayer is to give us words when we simply don’t have them. In those times where we know we need to pray but have nothing that comes to mind, let’s embrace Christ’s words to be our prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer is such a treasure - may we be intentional in ensuring that it is far more than something we say by rote because we have to, but live-giving prayer that forms and sustains us in all seasons of life.