by Doug Short
"One time I had the opportunity to hear him praying. Good God, what spirit, what faith was in his words! He prayed for things with such reverence- as befits God- and with such hope and faith that he seemed to be holding a conversation with a father or a friend…..My soul was set on fire with such a singular passion to hear him speak with God in such a friendly, serious and reverent manner. And…he was quite certain that everything for which he prayed would come about.” (1)
Martin Luther was an ecclesial theologian (2) writing and conversing with other theologians while actively preaching and meeting the pastoral needs of his community. Due to his particular ministry setting, his theology has come to us largely through his pastoral writings and preaching and his theology addresses practical issues that the academy rarely addresses today. Mark Rogers notes that “Luther’s writings comfort women who had suffered miscarriages, encourage the dying, counsel the tempted, encourage the suffering, and much more. In his voluminous works, Martin Luther addresses many ‘practical’ matters with the full-orbed, biblical theology of a theologian, the passion of a persecuted Reformer, and the heart of a parish pastor.” (3) It was that “persecuted Reformer” that I had studied while in seminary but it is his “heart of a parish pastor” that I have come to most appreciate.
Timothy Keller, in his book “Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God,” explains that after reaching his middle-aged years he came to the realization that his personal prayer life was severely lacking and in need of attention. While there were many modern books on the subject, Keller says he deliberately avoided those books and, instead, revisited the historical texts of Christian theology that he had studied as a young student. This time, however, he was looking for answers to questions that he was not asking back in those days. Questions regarding prayer and the experience of God were at the foremost of his mind and, as a result, he writes “I discovered things I had completely missed.” (4)
I was reading Keller’s book because, like him, I knew that my own prayer life was anemic and in need of reviving. I could identify with a survey conducted by Ellison Research which found that just 9 percent of pastors under age 45 are very satisfied with their prayer life and, of the ministers between the ages of 45 and 59, only 13 percent say that they are. (5) Knowing that a church’s ministries often reflect the pastor, I could understand why a Lifeway study found that, when ranking the most important ministries in their churches, prayer received only 5 percent of the vote by those surveyed (6) and I did not share the surprise of an African church leader who, after visiting American churches commented: “I’m surprised by how little prayer I witnessed.” (7)
I needed help and I decided to follow Keller’s example. I put down his “modern book” and, while he had turned to Scotch theologian John Murray, I turned to German theologian Martin Luther. I had read much of Luther in the past, but had not noticed just how much of his writing he devotes to prayer. Perhaps that is because the academy had, apparently, not noticed either. Mary Jane Haemig notes that “until recently prayer was almost completely ignored in Luther studies.” Academics focused on, for example, Luther’s doctrine of justification but had not noticed that “prayer was not just some interesting adjunct to Luther’s basic theological insights or an interesting sidelight; prayer was central to how Luther understood the Christian’s life and the life of the church. (8)
It, then, is no wonder that he was asked by his barber, Peter Beskendorf, if he would teach him how to pray. Luther responded by writing Beskendorf a letter which was published in 1535 under the name “A Simple Way to Pray” and it became one of his most popular writings. Luther’s “simple” approach was to ground his prayers in the prayer that God Himself had provided and had called us to pray, namely, the Lord’s Prayer. This simple act of obedience has reinvigorated my own personal prayer life and incorporating it into our times of public worship would serve our congregations well.
Over the course of his career, Luther wrote upon the Lord’s Prayer twenty one times. (9) Luther’s placement of the Lord’s Prayer at the center of his treatment of prayer found its source in two basic premises. First, the Lord’s Prayer is what we were told to pray. Commenting on when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray in Matthew 6:7-13, Luther wrote, “In these words we learn about both the words and the manner, that is, they tell us how and for what we are to pray.” (10) Second, the Lord’s Prayer is the greatest of prayers. Luther writes, “Since our Lord is the author of this prayer, it is without a doubt the most sublime, the loftiest, and the most excellent. If he, the good and faithful Teacher, had known a better one, he would surely have taught us that too.” (11) In his “Personal Prayer Book” of 1522, Luther noted “I am convinced that when a Christian rightly prays the Lord’s Prayer at any time or uses any portion of it as he may desire, his praying is more than adequate. (12) “Rightly praying” the Lord’s Prayer did not mean a mindless repetition of words. In fact, Luther had warned his congregation that “saying the Lord’s Prayer is not called praying” (13) but, rather, would be considered by the Father a “sham oral prayer” rather than that which He desires: a “spiritual and sincere prayer (which) reflects the heart’s innermost desires, its sighing and yearning.” (14) To that end, referencing Jesus instructions to his disciples to “not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do” (Matt. 6:7), Luther calls our prayers to be of few words but of great content saying, “few words and richness of meaning is Christian; many words and lack of meaning is pagan. (15)
As important as the prayer itself is, one’s preparation for prayer is equally important. Luther argued in his 1519 sermon “On Rogationtide Prayer and Procession” that we could never approach God in confidence unless we first had a promise and pledge from Him and it would do us well to reflect on God’s promises to us and to remind Him of them. God declares in Matthew 21:22, “Whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith,” and in Luke 11:9-13:
“And I tell you, ask and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Luther encouraged his congregation, “We should cheerfully rely on these and similar promises and commands and pray with true confidence.” (16) In addition to the believing the promises of God, Luther suggested that we make use of the 10 Commandments and the Apostle’s Creed to prepare our hearts for prayer. He likens us to “a sick person who first has to determine the nature of his sickness, then find out what to do or leave undone. After that he has to know where to get the medicine which will help him do or leave undone what is right for a healthy person. Third, he has to desire to search for this medicine and to obtain it or have it brought to him.” (17) Luther suggested that, after utilizing the 10 Commandments to reveal our sickness, the Apostle’s Creed to point us as to where to find the medicine, the Lord’s Prayer assures us that the medicine will be given to us. “This movement from diagnosis of human condition (sin) through the Law, to treatment through the announcement of God’s mercy and grace, to the reception of medication through prayer marked all of Luther’s catechesis and even his private prayer.” (18)
When it comes to the actual praying of the Lord’s Prayer, Luther would recite it once all the way through, but then would enter into earnest prayer in which, rather than reciting it word for word, he would be guided by the thoughts expressed within it. Depending upon his personal circumstances or mood, he would spend more time on one petition than the others, sometimes not praying all the way through the seven petitions contained within the prayer. “Repeat one part or as much as you wish,” (19) he writes, “It may happen occasionally that I may get lost among so many ideas in one petition that I forego the other six.” (20) He offers examples as to how one might pray through each petition. For example, for the fourth petition, “Give us this day our daily bread,” he writes,
“Say: ‘Dear Lord, God and Father, grant us thy blessing also in this temporal and physical life. Graciously grant us blessed peace. Protect us against war and disorder. Grant to our dear emperor fortune and success against his enemies. Grant him wisdom and understanding ot rule over his earthly kingdom in peace and prosperity. Grant to all kings, princes, and rulers good counsel and the will to preserve their domains and their subjects in tranquility and justice. Especially aid and guide our dear prince N., under whose protection and shelter thou does maintain us, so that he may be protected against all harm and reign blessedly, secure from evil tongues and disloyal people. Grant to all his subjects grace to serve him loyally and obediently. Grant to every estate- townsman or farmer- to be diligent and to display charity and loyalty toward each other. Give us favorable weather and good harvest. I commend to thee my house and property, wife and child. Grant that I may manage them well, supporting and educating them as a Christian should. Defend us against the Destroyer and all his wicked angels who would do us harm and mischief in this life. Amen.” (21)
And regarding that “Amen,” Luther charges that it should be said firmly, never doubting “that God in his mercy will surely hear you and say ‘yes’ to your prayers….Do not leave your prayer without having said or thought, ‘Very well, God has heard my prayer; this I know as a certainty and a truth.’ That is what Amen means.” (22)
Luther’s approach to prayer has helped me in a number of ways. First, Luther reminded me that my prayers are an act of obedience to God and, if God commands that I make requests of Him, then I should fully expect that He will not only hear my prayers but that, in fact, He desires to answer them. In fact, that is exactly what He promises to do. Too often I have found myself approaching prayer as if I were initiating the conversation and the response depended upon my own worthiness. Luther reminds me that it is God who has initiated this dialog and His response comes according to His free act of mercy and grace. In addition, having the Lord’s Prayer at the core of my own prayers assures me that what I am offering to God is something that He has expressly said He desires. Armed with this knowledge, I noticed that my prayers are more confident and, thus, more worthy of a loving Father who seeks to be honored by His children. Second, praying the Lord’s Prayer has helped me to be less self-centered in my prayer life. My typical prayer would mention the needs of others, but the bulk of my prayer time was spent on my own felt needs. As a result, when I was feeling less needy, my prayers were briefer and less substantial. The Lord’s Prayer has forced my thoughts off of myself, outward towards others and deeper into the Word. Third, a constant struggle in my prayer life has been that of a wandering mind. I find that in times of prayer I am far too easily distracted by the sounds around me, my thoughts of what I need to accomplish during the day, and my anxieties of tomorrow. The structure afforded me through praying the Lord’s Prayer has served to discipline my mind and keep me on track. I no longer find myself recovering from a spell of daydreaming and asking myself “where was I?” Fourth, the structure of the prayer, paradoxically, has led to more creative and spontaneous prayers. Previously, my prayers were subject to the meandering of my own thought process which would inevitably circle back upon itself, revisiting the same issues and requests repeatedly. Now my mind, having been given a specific list of things to pray for, is constantly finding new and broader applications to the petitions provided me.
It is the task of ministers to teach their congregation to pray well. The structure of reading the 10 Commandments followed by the Apostles Creed and leading into the Lord’s Prayer lends itself to a congregational setting and would go far in the education of the Body of Christ to their needs, the promise of hope that is theirs and how to seek it. Indeed, Luther admitted that “I have learned more from one prayer than I might have learned from much reading and speculation.” (23) Had praying the Lord’s Prayer been modeled for me in my youth, I feel assured that I would not have departed from it which would have been an appropriate act of obedience. After all, when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He replied, “Pray then like this.”
Notes
1- Veit Dietrich, Luther’s companion at the Fortress Coburg during the 1530 Diet of Augsburg, describing to Philip Melanchthon the effect of Martin Luther’s praying. Quoted in Wengert, Timothy J., “Luther on Prayer in the Large Catechism,” in The Pastoral Luther: Essays on Martin Luther’s Practical Theology, ed. Timothy J. Wengert (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 172.
2-Gerald Heistand and Todd Wilson, The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015), 85.
3- Mark Rogers, “’Deliver Us from the Evil One’: Martin Luther on Prayer,” Themelios 34, no. 3 (November 2009): 335.
4- Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. (New York: Penguin Books, 2014), 15, Kindle edition.
5- “Survey: Pastors Dissatisfied With Personal Prayer Lives,” The Christian Post, accessed September 13, 2018, https://www.christianpost.com/news/survey-pastors-dissatisfied-with-personal-prayer-lives-13473/
6- “LifeWay study reveals pastors’ ministry priorities,” The Baptist Message, accessed September 13, 2018, http://baptistmessage.com/lifeway-study-reveals-pastors-ministry-priorities/
7-Jason Helopoulos, “Pastor, Include More Prayer in Your Church Service,” The Gospel Coalition, accessed September 13, 2018, https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/include-more-prayer-church-service/
8- Mary Jane Haemig, “Luther on Prayer as Authentic Communication,” Lutheran Quarterly 30, No. 3, (Autumn 2016): 307.
9- For a list of his teachings and an examination of how Luther’s teaching of the Lord’s Prayer can be used in teaching undergraduates today, see McNair, Bruce, “Martin Luther and Lucas Cranach Teaching the Lord’s Prayer,” Religions, 8.4.63 (2017), special issue Teaching the Reformations, online journal, http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/8/4/63
10- Martin Luther, “An Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer for Simple Laymen,” in Luther’s Works, Eds. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T. Lehmann, (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing and Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1955–1986) 42:19
11- Ibid., 21.
12- Luther’s Works, 43:12.
13- Martin Luther, “Fifth Sunday After Easter (Rogate) or Prayer Sunday,” in Sermons of Martin Luther, ed., John Nicholas Lenker and others (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989), 3:170.
14- Luther’s Works, 42:20.
15- Ibid., 19.
16-Ibid., 88.
17-Luther’s Works, 43:13
18-Wengert, 183.
19-Luther’s Works, 43:195
20-Ibid., 198.
21-Ibid., 196-197.
22-Ibid., 198.
23-Ibid.
Bibliography
“LifeWay study reveals pastors’ ministry priorities,” The Baptist Message Webpage. Accessed September 13, 2018, http://baptistmessage.com/lifeway-study-reveals-pastors-ministry-priorities/
“Survey: Pastors Dissatisfied With Personal Prayer Lives,” The Christian Post Webpage. Accessed September 13, 2018, https://www.christianpost.com/news/survey-pastors-dissatisfied-with-personal-prayer-lives-13473/
Haemig, Mary Jane. “Luther on Prayer as Authentic Communication,” Lutheran Quarterly 30, No. 3, (Autumn 2016): 307-328.
Heistand, Gerald and Todd Wilson. The Pastor Theologian: Resurrecting an Ancient Vision. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015.
Helopoulos, Jason. “Pastor, Include More Prayer in Your Church Service,” The Gospel Coalition. Accessed September 13, 2018. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/include-more-prayer-church-service/
Keller, Timothy. Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God. New York: Penguin Books, 2014. Kindle edition.
Luther, Martin. A Simple Way to Pray. Luther’s Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 43:187-211. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing and Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1955–1986.
Luther, Martin. An Exposition of the Lord’s Prayer for Simple Laymen. Luther’s Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 42:15-81. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing and Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1955–1986.
Luther, Martin. Fifth Sunday After Easter (Rogate) or Prayer Sunday. Sermons of Martin Luther, ed. John Nicholas Lenker and others, vol. 3:166-180. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1989.
Luther, Martin. On Rogationtide Prayer and Procession. Luther’s Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 42: 87-93. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing and Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1955–1986.
Luther, Martin. Personal Prayer Book. Luther’s Works, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut T. Lehmann, vol. 43:3-45. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing and Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1955–1986.
McNair, Bruce, “Martin Luther and Lucas Cranach Teaching the Lord’s Prayer,” Religions, special issue Teaching the Reformations, online journal, 8.4.63 (April 2017): 1-12. Accessed September 13, 2018, http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/8/4/63.
Rogers, Mark. “’Deliver Us from the Evil One’: Martin Luther on Prayer.” Themelios 34, no. 3 (November 2009): 337-347.
Wengert, Timothy J., “Luther on Prayer in the Large Catechism.” In The Pastoral Luther: Essays on Martin Luther’s Practical Theology, ed. Timothy J. Wengert, 171-197. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009.
