“The Language of Prayer”
(Pastor Craige LeBreton)
A few weeks ago…I had a discussion with my pastor…
We were discussing prayer…we were talking about its necessity…
And it’s power…we were talking about the misunderstanding…
of those who pray…how they pray…and what…they pray for…
and their understanding…of the meaning of prayer…
Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines prayer as…
An address…as a petition…to God…in a word…or a thought…
Or…an earnest request or wish…
Have you ever needed…to talk to God…and you don’t know…
what to talk about…?
How many times do we ask ourselves…How should I pray…?
Or…what should I pray for…?
Do you ever wonder…if God hears and understands…your prayer???
I want to share some thoughts with you…about the one…
who taught us to pray…and some thoughts…about the most famous…
prayer in the world…this prayer has often times…been called…
The Lord’s Prayer…but it is more appropriately called…
The “Model Prayer”…
I would also like to share some thoughts…about the words He used…
when He prayed…and the meaning of those words…
in His native language…Aramaic….
Text: Matthew 6:5-15
5 ¶ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9 ¶ After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
This prayer…this model prayer…was prayed…by Jesus Christ…
to instruct the disciples…so that they could instruct others…
And before Christ had instructed the disciples…on prayer…
He had been dictating…the outward manifestations…
Of Christian characteristics…and Christian conduct…that will be…
Exhibited in the true believers…and genuine disciples…
During His sermon on the mount…
Jesus was teaching His disciples that…Praying…like giving…
Is to be done…to the Lord…not to man…in verse 5
Jesus said that people love to pray…standing in the synagogues…
Both a time and place for prayer…were customary…
in the Jewish Synagogue…of Jesus’ time…
Therefore…Jesus is not condemning the practice of public prayer…
But rather the misuse of it…
The principle of verse 6…is that the believer…should not make a show…
Of his prayer…nor of the answers…he receives to a prayer…
In such a way as to…call attention to himself…
Vs. 7…Jesus warns us…that we should not use…vain repetitions…
Babbling or speaking without thinking…
Vs. 8…Prayer is not man’s attempt…to change the will of God…
Prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance to answer…but laying hold…
of His willingness to help…
Prayer…in the life of the true believer…is an act of total confidence…
In the plan and purpose of God…
Christ did not intend for this model prayer…to be merely recited…
With empty meaninglessness…
It is also of the utmost importance that you understand…
that without Christ in your life…
without Godly repentance…and faith in Jesus Christ as your savior…
there is no way…to communicate with the Father…
John 14:6 clearly tells us:
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way... the truth… and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father…but by me…
First of all…Jesus does not simply tell us about the way…
Jesus does not hold your hand and show us the way…
Jesus is not a tour guide…leading our way…
Jesus tells us in no uncertain terms: He is the Way!!!!!!
If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal savior….
If you have not repented of your sins…and asked Jesus…
To be the centers of your life…do not!!…wait another moment…
Do it right now…Do it where you are sitting…Do it today…
II Corinthians tells us: “Behold…NOW is the accepted time…
Behold…NOW is the day of salvation…(II Corinthians 6:2)
Without Christ in your life…not only do you not…communicate…
with the father…you cannot enter the Fathers house…
John 3:3 tells us:
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee..
Except a man be born again…, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Know this now…before you can pray to the Father…and be heard…
you must know the Son…His son…Jesus Christ…
The most wonderful thing about Jesus…and His ministry…
was his ability to communicate…With the common man…
people like you and I…and that day…
when Jesus instructed His disciples…in the way of prayer…
he did not pray…in our language…
He did not pray in Greek either…When Jesus taught those common men…
His disciples…How to pray…he did not pray in the Hebrew language…
Jesus taught them to pray in their native language…,
which at that time was…Aramaic…
Aramaic…was the common man’s language of the day…
and if we were among those listening…to Jesus…
on the mountainside that day…Jesus would have spoken to us in Aramaic…
What did Jesus mean…when He said that…we should pray…?
What did the word “Pray”…mean…in his language?
What do you and I mean…when we say…that we should pray?
What did the word mean…in the mind…of Jesus…
In Aramaic…the word “Slotha” or “pray” is linked to…a hunting term…
In the Middle East…when men went hunting…they would often take…
A box…with some string…and some bait…
And then…they would set a box trap…
They would wait patiently…to catch the thoughts…the thoughts of God…
It means to set your mind like a trap…and wait patiently…
To catch the thoughts of God…It means to trap…the inner guidance…
And impulses…that come from God…many times we pray…
And only later realize…that we should have waited…for God’s answer…
Instead of acting on impulse…covered by the act of prayer…
You see…another meaning of the word prayer…is to tune in or focus…
In our day…it might be like…selecting the right channel…on your T.V…
In Praying…we are setting our mind like a trap…or tuning in…
To the right channel…to listen to God…
This should always remind us…that prayer is…absolutely not…
Telling God…what we want God to know…God already knows…
Prayer is…listening to God…and finding out…what He wants us to know…
Remember…when we pray to God…we are praying…to the one who is…
Completely knowing…God knows your needs…
And in case it has slipped your mind…God is completely good…
Our word God comes from another language…
The English word God …comes from the German language…
The word in German is “Goot”…and simply means…”the good one…”
God is the good one…in our lives…
But what does the word God mean…in the Aramaic language of Jesus?
God means…Essence…or substance…in other words…
It means “my very breath”…It means “my very heartbeat”…it means…
“My very life”…
To Jesus…when we are in touch with God…we are in touch…
With our very own lives…
Another thing we are told…when we are learning to pray…is that we…
Must pray…in the name of Jesus…
BUT…what does it mean…to pray in the name of Jesus?
Is this some magical formula?…is it a secret password?…
If we pray in the name of Jesus…does it make the prayer work?…
NO!… the Aramaic words for “in my name”…actually means…
“according to my method”…or…”according to the way I do it”…
To pray in the name of Jesus…means to pray…with His understanding…
Of how to pray…In other words…we should pray…”The Way”…
That Jesus Prayed…that’s how we pray in His name…
Having said all of that…Let’s listen again…to the beginning…
of the Model Prayer…in English… “Our Father who art in heaven”…
Our Father…the word Jesus used was… “Aba”…do you remember… another time…that Jesus used the word “Aba”?
Mark 14:36…we find Jesus in the Garden of…Geth-sem-ane…
36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
In the Aramaic language… “Aba”…was a word that small children used…
When they spoke to their fathers…it was like saying…”Daddy” or “Pappa”.
When a little child talks…to his or her father…the word is “Daddy”…
or “Papa”…it is a word of trust…love…patience…and caring…
It is informal…and yet…it is intimate…
For Jesus taught us that… “We are not praying to some giant stranger…”
We are praying to our “daddy” or “Papa”
Jesus is teaching us that…we need to stop being so afraid of…
Talking to God…
God is not a distant…impersonal stranger…He is a father…who loves us…
In fact…God loves it…when we take the time…to call on Him…
Don’t you love it…when your children call you?
Jesus also taught us…that the name of God…is to be honored…
When we say, “Hallowed be thy name”…we mean…that we think…
Our father’s name…is precious…
Jesus said…that we should…preserve…the good name of God…
He said that we should not…insult God…by using His name…
in trivial ways…or hateful ways…
How many times…have we heard the Lords name abused…?
We hear it used in vain…on T.V. and radio…all of the time…
This country is desensitizing…the name of God…
God’s name…is to be…Hallowed!!!
As he taught us in prayer…Jesus also prayed about God’s Kingdom…
Jesus Taught us…to pray…that God’s Kingdom would come…
What did Jesus mean by that…?
God’s kingdom has not arrived…It means that…God’s kingdom…
Is mediated or counseled through…the Messiah…Jesus Christ…
The Aramaic word…that Jesus used for kingdom…Mal coo tha
also means council…
In other words…we are praying that…Jesus’ advice or council…be with us..
Until God’s Kingdom arrives…
We are praying for God to help us…to know what to do…
Each day…at the center of…where we live…
We are saying…”May your advice…come to me…as I live my life…”
That’s what we mean…when we say… “Thy Kingdom come”…
We are saying…we need to have God…in charge of our lives…
I have a little instruction sheet…that I try to follow…each day…
It says:
Good morning, this is God!
I will be handling all of
Your problems today.
I will not need your help
So, have a good day!
What does this really say about ourselves???
Too often…we try to do it all ourselves…and we usually mess it up…
Pretty badly…
someone once said… “Let Go and Let God”…
such simple…sound advice…but so many of us can’t seem to let go…
Jesus also said…that we should pray…thy will be done…
What does that mean in Aramaic…?
Simply translated it means:… “Let your wish be.”
You and I often think…we have a better answer than God…
But when we think…we have a better answer than God…
We are in deep trouble…
Prayer is not a way to make God… “a cosmic bellhop”…
Jumping to our every wish…or command…it is not our wish…
It is God’s will…and His will…will be done…
In the Model prayer…Jesus also spoke of heaven…
What does heaven mean….in the language of Aramaic?
When Jesus said…that God’s will should be done…
On earth as in heaven…
Jesus meant…that it should be done in Harmony…The Aramaic word…
For heaven…D’wash maya… is harmony…So we can see…that Jesus was asking for…
Peace and harmony…on earth…
Let’s think about that…in light of what is happening…in the world today…
War in Iraq…racism…abortion…murder…there is no peace…
and there is no harmony…
We need to continue to pray for harmony to occur…
peace and harmony…
Now that would be…heaven on earth…
Jesus also instructs us…to pray for our daily bread…
We say it this way…”Give us this day our daily bread”….
When we pray that…perhaps…you and I will think of food…
A loaf of bread…or a slice of bread…
But in Jesus’ language…he was thinking of something else as well…
In the Aramaic language…Lakh ma…bread…also meant…
truth and understanding…
Jesus was teaching us to ask for…our daily ration of truth…
Our daily ration of understanding…we need to be filled…each day…
with a spiritual truth…we as Christians…cannot simply go…for days…
without understanding…and a daily dose of truth…
or spiritually…we will begin to die…
We need to seek out the truth…everyday…in God’s Holy word….
Like water to live…we need a daily ration…of God’s truth…
The next thing Jesus prays is…that we be forgiven of our trespasses…
Now in His language …there is another way of looking at what He said…
The Aramaic word…Kho bain… means to untie us…or loosen us…
from our mistakes…Or our sins…
The problem most of us have…is that we are afraid…we will always be tied.
To our past mistakes…are sins…
We cry out… “Let me go…! Set me free…! Untie me God…!
Isn’t that what we all want?
But…The prayer of Jesus…also reminds us…that if you want to be free...
We have to pray…to let everyone else…be free…as well…
That is the truth…When we tie someone else up in guilt…
we are tied up too…
I will only be let go…of my past mistakes…as I forgive…or let go…
Of the mistakes of others…
and forgive them…
If you want to be… “Let go”….forgiven…
you have to let go…and forgive...
In the meantime…Jesus reminds us…that we are in danger…
of being tempted ourselves…
Jesus said in his prayer… “Lead us not into temptation”…
Is that what He meant? What does this mean in Aramaic?
Does God lead us into temptation?
No! The real meaning of what Jesus said was this.
Do not let us…enter into temptation…He is saying…in His prayer to God…
Help us to avoid temptation…
And then…as we come to the end of the prayer…
Jesus says:
“Deliver us from evil…”what does evil mean in Aramaic…
It means mistakes and errors…but this is not all…
It also means immature or unripe…
when we do things…that are not right…we often say…
It was immature…or that it was a childish thing to do…
We mean that…we were not doing…the grown up things…
We are still green or unripe…in our behavior…
Growing up means…that we do things…that are better…spiritual…
And the way that God…our father…would want us to do them…
In this prayer of Jesus…he asks God to help us…not to do…
The immature things…the non-spiritual things…
He is saying in the prayer…help us to…stop being childish…and grow up.
Finally…in the closing words of the model prayer…
Jesus looks ahead…Gloriously…Jesus prays…
Thine is the Kingdom…and the power…And the glory…
In the Aramaic language… “Oot tish bokh ta” or Glory…means song… What Jesus is saying is:
Your’s is the kingdom…And the power…and the song…
throughout the ages…
You see the prayer is saying…that with God in control of our lives…
Our future is like…a wonderful harmony of music…
The future is like a song…it is the wonderful song of God…
The prayer ends…as all prayers end…with the word…Amen…
It means sealed in truth…it means trustworthy…
We are saying…God…I want all of this…to be true…
I want all of this…in my life…to be trustworthy…
We are very much like the Disciples…We are still learning…
And when we understand…how we should pray…to the father…
The way Jesus taught us…we are not only praying in English…
We are praying…in the language of truth…and in any language…
we can all say…Amen to that…
For more on the subject of the Model Prayer…
Read: The Ancient Aramaic Prayer of Jesus…by Rocco A. Erica
