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Do you struggle with prayer? It’s really just a simple way to have a conversation with God. The power of prayer is unleashed with these five short sentences: “Father, you are good. I need help. They need help. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Study Gateway's First Listens: Find your next Bible study! Join host Shelley Leith as she curates first sessions of Bible studies on various themes each season, taught by some of the world’s most influential Christian authors, teachers, and pastors. To learn more, visit https://StudyGateway.com.
First Listens Season 3: Episode 7
Before Amen
By Max Lucado
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY LEITH: Hi there everyone! Welcome to First Listens! I’m your host, Shelley Leith, and in this podcast I bring you the first listens of the first sessions on Study Gateway so you can find your next video Bible study.
We’re wrapping up Season 3 of First Listens today, with our final episode of Key Bible Passages Everyone Should Know. We have been listening to the first sessions of Bible studies on the seminal Scripture passages that are foundational in the life of every Christian, such as Jeremiah 29:11 (everyone’s favorite verse), the Fruit of the Spirit, the Armor of God, the Sermon on the Mount, the Prodigal Son, the Promises of God, and the Lord’s Prayer. The idea is that you’ll love these first episodes so much you’ll say, I’ve got to go watch that whole Bible study and learn about the rest of that passage!
In our final episode of the season, we’re looking at The Lord’s Prayer as taught by Max Lucado in his study called Before Amen. In this study, Max reveals his struggles with prayer and how he discovered that it is not a privilege for the pious or the art of a chosen few, but a simple tool everyone has been given to have a conversation with God. He breaks down the Lord’s Prayer into four simple declarations: Father you are good. I need help. They need help. Thank you. Let’s get started with today’s session called Father You Are Good.
[MUSIC PLAYING] MAX LUCADO: Hello, my name is Max Lucado, and I am a recovering prayer wimp. I admit it: I doze off when I pray. My thoughts zig, and then zag, and then zig again. Distractions swarm my mind like gnats swarm a backyard barbeque on a warm summer night. If attention deficit disorder applies to prayer, then I am afflicted. When I pray, I think of a thousand things I need to do, and I end up forgetting the one thing I set out to do: pray.
Now, some people excel in prayer. They inhale heaven; they exhale God. They are the Seal Team Six of intercession. They would rather pray than sleep. I tend to sleep when I pray. They belong to the PGA: the Prayer Giants Association. I am a card-carrying member of the PWA: Prayer Wimps Anonymous.
Can you relate?
Of course, we all pray to some extent. We pray to stay sober, centered, or solvent. When the lump is deemed malignant. When the money runs out before the month does. When the unborn baby hasn’t kicked in a while. But wouldn’t we like to pray more, better, deeper? Wouldn’t we all like to pray with more fire, faith, and fervency?
In some ways, prayer is like a long stretch of road. It serves a purpose in getting us from point A to point B. However, at first glance, prayer—just like this road—can also seem uninteresting and unrewarding. We have a hard time seeing where it will take us . . . and why it’s worth it.
What is it about prayer that makes us feel this way? Well, we might as well admit it: that prayer is odd. We speak into space and lift words into the sky. We can’t even get the cable company to answer us, but we think God will? The doctor is too busy, but God isn’t? So we have our doubts about prayer.
We also have our checkered history with prayer—a past filled with unmet expectations and unanswered requests. We took this lonely road of prayer, but it didn’t lead to where we expected. Sometimes we feel more lost than when we began. We can hardly genuflect for the scar tissue. To some, God is the ultimate heartbreaker. Why keep tossing the coins of our longings into the same silent pool? Why keep traveling down the road if we’ve lost confidence in it? God jilted us once . . . he won’t do it again.
Oh, the peculiar puzzle of prayer.
We aren’t the first to struggle. In fact, the sign-up sheet for Prayer 101 contains some familiar names, including the apostles John, James, Andrew, and Peter. When one of Jesus’ disciples requested, “Lord, teach us to pray,” none of the others objected. No one walked away saying, “No thanks, I’ve got that prayer thing figured out.” The first followers of Jesus needed guidance in how to pray.
In fact, prayer is the only tutorial that they ever requested. They could have asked for instructions on many topics—how to multiply bread, or still the storms, or vacate the cemeteries. But they never did. I wonder if their interest had something to do with the jaw-dropping, eye-popping promises that Jesus attributed to prayer. He told them if they asked it, it would be given to them. And if they believed, they would receive whatever they had requested. Jesus never attached such power to other endeavors.
Jesus responded to the disciples’ request by giving them a sample prayer. Not a lecture on the doctrine of prayer, but a quotable, repeatable, portable prayer. I think we could all use the same. As I’ve looked at the prayers in the Bible, it seems to me that they can be distilled down into one simple, easy-to-remember, pocket-sized prayer:
Father,
You are good.
I need help.
So do they.
Thank you.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
As you go through your day, you can let this prayer punctuate everything you do. As you begin your morning: “Father, you are good.” As you commute to work or walk the hallway at school: “I need help.” As you wait in the grocery line: “So do they.” As you look back on your day and remember everything God has done: “Thank you.”
Prayer is not a privilege for the pious or the art of a chosen few. Prayer is simply a heartfelt conversation between God and his children. We speak. He listens. He speaks. We listen. God changes his people through such moments. Just like he is changing me. Yes, I am a prayer wimp, but a recovering prayer wimp. For me, this simple prayer has become a cherished friend. Its phrases linger in my thoughts like a favorite melody.
My friend, this road of prayer will take you to places you didn’t expect, but no place that God didn’t expect. He wants to talk with you. He knows this road. He created it. He is the perfect guide.
So take that first step. Set out on the road. Let the conversation begin.
* * *
When Jenna, my eldest daughter, was thirteen years old, she flubbed her piano piece at a recital. Now, she went on to become a fine pianist and wonderful singer, but everyone has an off day. She just happened to have hers in front of a crowded auditorium of family, friends, and onlookers.
The performance started well. Jenna’s fingers flowed up and down the keyboard like Billy Joel’s. But midway through the piece, her musical train jumped the track. I can still see her staring straight ahead, her fingers stuck as if with superglue. She backed up a few measures and took another run at it. No luck. For the life of her she couldn’t remember the next part. The silence in the auditorium was broken only by the pounding of her parents’ hearts. “Come on, honey. Don’t give up. It will come.”
Well, finally, it did. Jenna’s mental block broke, and she completed the piece. But the damage was done. She stood up from the piano bench—chin quivering—curtsied, and hurried off the stage. Denalyn and I scurried out of our seats and met her at the side of the auditorium. She threw her arms around me and buried her face in my shirt.
“Oh, Daddy.”
And that was enough for me. Denalyn and I sandwiched her with affection. If a hug could extract embarrassment, that one would have. At that moment, I would have given her the moon. And all she said was, “Oh, Daddy.”
That’s where prayer starts—with an honest, heartfelt, “Oh, Daddy.”
Jesus taught us to begin our prayers by saying, “Our Father in heaven.” More specifically, our “Abba in heaven.” Abba is an intimate, folksy, pedestrian term, the warmest of the Aramaic words for “father.” Formality stripped away. Proximity promised. Jesus invites us to come to God in just this way.
If you ever visit a school playground, you will see how children approach their fathers. They scream in excitement. They ask their daddies to push them on the swing. They make requests; they ask questions. What they don’t do is say, “Father, it is most gracious of thee to drive thy car to this place of education and provide me with domestic transportation. Please know of my deep gratitude for thy benevolence. For thou art splendid in thy attentive care and diligent in thy dedication.”
This is not what God is seeking when we pray. What a relief!
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY LEITH: When we think of God as Daddy, then think of what some of our prayers have sounded like, it starts to feel a little ridiculous, doesn’t it? We are listening to Max Lucado teaching us about the Lord’s Prayer in Before Amen, which is published by HarperChristian Resources and it streams on Study Gateway.
Study Gateway is a streaming video service, and we’re the only one that has a subscription plan especially for small groups. For our First Listens listeners, we offer you an exclusive rate on our small group plan. When you use the promo code FIRST at studygateway.com, you’ll get a 20% discount on a small group plan for up to 20 people, and that discount lasts for the life of your subscription!
And, for a complete experience with Before Amen take advantage of our publisher-direct pricing on the essential Bible study guide designed to be used with the videos. You’ll get the group discussion questions and leader materials, the Scripture text and key ideas, and personal Bible study and reflection exercises to do between sessions. Get all the details at Studygateway.com.
And now, let’s return to Max Lucado.
[MUSIC PLAYING] MAX LUCADO: We don’t have to worry about the etiquette or dress code of prayer, or if we should kneel or stand, or if we should invert “Hail Mary” with “Our Father.” No, God invites us to approach him as little children. Carefree. Joy-filled. Playful. Trusting. Curious. Excited.
“Daddy.” The term takes aim at our pride. Other salutations permit an air of sophistication. As a pastor, I know this well. Deepen the tone of voice and pause for dramatic effect: “Oh, holy Lord . . .” Allow the words to reverberate throughout the universe as I, the pontiff of petition, pontificate my prayer.
But God prefers this greeting: “God, you are my daddy, and I am your child.” Why? Because it’s impossible to show off and at the same time call God “Daddy.” That’s the point. Religious leaders in Jesus’ day loved to make theater out of their prayers. They perched themselves at intersections and practiced public piety.
The show nauseated Jesus. He said, “When you pray, you should go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father who cannot be seen. Your Father can see what is done in secret, and he will reward you” (Matthew 6:6, NCV). In Palestinian culture, the room most likely to have a door was the storage room. It held tools, seed, and farming supplies. A chicken might even wander in. There was nothing holy in it and nothing holy about it. It was the day-to-day workroom.
God is low on fancy. He’s high on accessibility. To pray at the Vatican can be meaningful, but prayers offered at home carry just as much weight. Travel to the Wailing Wall if you want, but prayer at your backyard fence is just as effective. The One who hears your prayers is your daddy. You needn’t woo him with location—nor with words. In fact, Jesus downplayed the importance of words. He said, “Don’t be like those people who . . . continue saying things that mean nothing, thinking that God will hear them because of their many words” (Matthew 6:7, NCV).
Vocabulary and geography might impress people, but not God. There is no panel of angelic judges with numbered cards.
“Wow, Lucado, that prayer was a ten. God will certainly hear from you!”
“Oh, Lucado, you score a two this morning. Go home and practice.”
Prayers are not graded according to style. Just as a happy child cannot mis-hug, the sincere heart cannot mis-pray. Heaven knows that this life has enough burdens without the burden of praying correctly. Some days, all we can do is lift our hearts to heaven and say, “My Daddy,” and trust that he is good and that He will take care of our needs.
Friend, it’s a stormy world out there. Every day brings turbulence. Moody economy. Aging bodies. Declining job market. Increasing violence. The stress is so strong, and the fear so fierce, and the grief so deep. And during these troubling times, we might wonder if we have a good pilot at the helm to take us through the storm.
I recently found myself on a flight where I was confronted with this very question. As I was boarding the plane, I heard someone call my name. “Well, hello, Max,” he said. And when I looked up, I saw it was my friend Joe. Joe has been flying forever. He has logged a book full of hours as a commercial pilot. You could say he is the “Methuselah” of the airways. He has faced every crisis from electrical storms to empty fuel tanks.
Joe is also a good friend. He is the type of guy who would keep a bedside vigil if I were in the hospital. He’d watch my dog if I went on vacation. He’d keep his cool if I offended him until we could talk it through. He could no more tell a lie than a mosquito could sing the National Anthem. Joe is good in skill. Good in heart.
So, I went to my seat with a sense of assurance. I mean, what more could I ask? The pilot is experienced, and the pilot is my tried-and-true friend. I am in good hands. Well, that knowledge came in handy about an hour later when we hit a wall of wind. The people gasped, and dentures rattled, and the attendant told us to check our seatbelts and rosary beads. I’ve had smoother rollercoaster rides.
However, unlike the other passengers, I stayed calm. I didn’t have a death wish, but I had an advantage. I knew the pilot. I knew his heart. I trusted his skill. Joe can handle this, I told myself. The storm was bad, but the pilot was good. So, I relaxed—as much as I could during a squall.
The Bible tells us that God is also good in skill and in heart. His power cannot be contained. He brought order out of chaos. He created creation. With a word he called Adam out of dust and Eve out of a bone. He consulted no committee. He sought no counsel. To the prophet Isaiah he said, “I am God and there is no other; I am God and there is none like me” (Isaiah 46:9, NIV).
The greatest kings have surrendered their crowns. Alexander the Great is a mound of dust. Napoleon’s remains can be found in a museum in France. But God has no beginning and no end. Moses wrote, “From everlasting to everlasting you are God” (Psalm 90:2). God is never hungry, He never sleeps, He never needs assistance. From the tiniest microbe to the mightiest mountain, “He sustains everything by the mighty power of his command” (Hebrews 1:3, NLT).
God’s power is unsurpassed and his heart is unblemished. There is nothing fickle or deceitful about him. He has no hidden agenda or selfish motives. He loves with a good love. He forgives with a good forgiveness. No wonder the psalmist wrote, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8, NLT). God’s goodness changes us.
God’s unrivaled goodness undergirds everything we can say about prayer. If he is like us, only slightly stronger, then why pray? Or if he grows weary, why pray? If he has limitations and hesitations, we might as well pray to the Wizard of Oz. But if God is at once Father and Creator—holy unlike us and high above us—then at any point we are only a prayer away from help.
Our toughest challenges are simple fixes to God. Unfortunately, a lot of us forget this and make unnecessary messes trying to solve our own problems instead of taking them to God. But we can change that.
Let me make a suggestion. Before you face the world each day, face your Father in prayer. Here’s how it works. It’s Monday morning and the alarm clock is living up to its name. You groan, roll over, and sit up. In the old days you would have made coffee, turned on the news, and begun your day with a briefing on the toxic problems in the world. But today you lumber toward a chair to spend time with God. You don’t look like much: face pillow-creased, hair smashed. No matter. You haven’t come to look at you. You have come to look at God.
“Father, my Daddy . . .” And the words come slow at first, but you stay at it. “You are good. Your heart is good. Your ways are right.” And something within you begins to awaken. Don’t underestimate the power of this moment. You have just opened the door to God and welcomed truth to enter your heart. Who knows, you might even start to worship.
Will your world be different because you prayed? In one sense, it won’t. Wars will still rage, traffic still clog, and heartbreakers still roam the planet. But you are different. You have peace. You’ve spent time with your heavenly Father, the all-powerful and the all-good Creator of the universe. And he is up to the task. And he wants to walk this road with you.
Prayer really is that simple. So resist the urge to complicate it. Don’t take pride in well-crafted prayers or apologize for incoherent ones. Take your concerns to your Father and don’t hold anything back. No games. No cover-ups. Just climb up into his lap, and tell him everything that is on your heart, and trust that he can get you through the storm just fine. After all, everything changes when you know the pilot.
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY LEITH: “Before you face the world each day, face your father in prayer.” I hope you enjoyed your first listen to the first session of Before Amen, a video Bible study by Max Lucado, published by HarperChristian Resources and streaming on Study Gateway.
Here’s some good news ~ We have unlocked this session of Before Amen on Study Gateway, so you can go and watch it for free! You’ll be able to see the beautiful scenery where Max filmed the opening, and the shots of children on a playground, and even some scenes in the cockpit of a plane. Max’s teaching is always full of beautiful stories and illustrations, and his videos always portray those visually. Take advantage of this free session and go to studygateway.com to watch Episode One of Before Amen.
Here at Study Gateway you can find your favorite authors, pastors and Bible teachers, all in one place. We’re the only streaming video subscription service that offers a small group-sized plan, AND has user-based pricing for churches, no matter what the size. And don’t forget, you can use the promo code FIRST to get a 20% savings on a small group plan for the life of your subscription.
With Study Gateway, you also get a direct link to our store, where you get publisher-direct pricing on the essential Bible study guide for Before Amen. The study guide gives you what you need to have a great group experience with watching the videos and discussing them, then you have between-sessions activities to help you dig deeper into the Scriptures and apply them to your life. Is Before Amen going to be your next study? Get started right now by going to studygateway.com, click start free trial, choose the monthly small group plan, and use the promo code FIRST.
Make sure you rate and review this podcast so other people can find this show too. And come back next week for our first episode of Season Four, which we’re calling Giving it Up for Lent. This season is devoted to exploring the habits and activities that we should give up in order to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. See you next time on Study Gateway’s First Listens.
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