Week 2 - Prayer - Jeff Chavez

Chaplain Jeff, the in-person chaplain for FireTrucks Unlimited in Nevada, speaks about prayer, noting that many people believe there is some kind of special formula for it. He explains that there is no secret formula and that the Bible never teaches this. Prayer is always a dialogue with God.The speaker notes that Jesus's own disciples had the same misconception about prayer, which he shares from Luke's gospel, chapter 11, starting in verse one. In the first century, people had many prayers, with almost every prayer being memorized. These were often parts of scripture, and people prayed for everything, such as the first time they ate, drank water, or smelled bread. When Jesus prayed in a different way, a disciple asked him to teach them how to pray, just as John the Baptist had taught his disciples.Jesus then gave them the famous prayer known as the Lord's Prayer, which starts, "Our Father, hallowed be your name". The speaker cautions that if people memorize and pray this prayer without understanding its meaning, it becomes like a foreign language.Jesus's intent in giving this prayer was not for it to be memorized word for word, but rather to provide a framework for prayer. The version in Luke 11:2-4 is a shorter version than the one in Matthew 6. In Luke, Jesus said, "When you pray, say,"

• "Father, hallowed be your name".

• "Your kingdom come".

• "Give us each day our daily bread".

• "Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us".

• "and lead us not into temptation".

The speaker explains that the framework for prayer can be summarized with the acronym "A. K. A.".

1. Acknowledge who you are speaking to. The first place to go in prayer is to acknowledge that you are praying to the one who is holy, the creator of all things, the alpha and the omega. The prayer starts with "Father, holy is your name. Hallowed be your name".

2. Kingdom-minded prayer. The prayer should have minds set on the kingdom. The Lord's Prayer says, "Your kingdom come" and in Matthew's gospel, "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven". Notice that the prayer does not use "I, me, my," but rather, "give us each day our daily bread" and "forgive us our sins".

3. Ask for what we need. This part is grouped into a couple of sections.

   • Daily Bread: "Give us each day our daily bread" refers to the basic necessities of life. In the first century, daily bread was a need for survival.

   • Forgiveness: The greatest need is "forgive us our sins as we forgive everyone who sins against us". We need to ask for forgiveness and help to forgive others, which keeps the prayer kingdom-minded.

   • Guidance: "Lead us not into temptation". This is another great need, asking the Lord to lead, guide, and direct, especially away from negative things.

The speaker then closes the video with a prayer using this framework. He also provides his email address for those who would like him to pray for them: jeff.chaplain.org