Prayer is
simply communicating with God. Jesus prayed a lot—often and deeply while He was
here on earth. He prayed simply because He wanted to and also because He needed
to. He prayed for guidance, for healing of others, for blessing of food, and
for His Father’s will. His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray—and from
that request we have the Lord’s Prayer.
Jesus was
Jewish and the Jews are strict about their prayers. Before Jesus time the Jews
had already established prayers that were recited each morning and evening
known as the Shema. Shema is
literally the first words of Deuteronomy 6:4. The Shema includes Deuteronomy
6:4-9 and Deuteronomy 11:13-21. Additionally, Numbers 15:37-41 is said with the
morning prayers, but not with the evening prayers as the tallit or prayer shawl
is worn only in the daylight hours. For more information, see the http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/
Below
are the verses that are the Shema which is traditionally recited standing in
the morning and reclining in the evening.
Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is
one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today,
shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall
talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when
you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand
and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the
doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9
It shall come about, if you listen obediently to my
commandments which I am commanding you today, to love the LORD your God and to
serve Him with all your heart and all your soul, that He will give the rain for
your land in its season, the early and late rain, that you may gather in your
grain and your new wine and your oil. He will give grass in your fields for
your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Beware that your hearts are not
deceived, and that you do not turn away and serve other gods and worship them.
Or the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the
heavens so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its fruit;
and you will perish quickly from the good land which the LORD is giving you. You
shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and
you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on
your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit
in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when
you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your
gates, so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the
land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens
remain above the earth. Deuteronomy
11:13-21
The LORD also spoke to Moses, saying, "Speak to
the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels
on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall
put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue. It shall be a tassel for you
to look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, so as to do them and
not follow after your own heart and your own eyes, after which you played the
harlot, so that you may remember to do all My commandments and be holy to your
God. I am the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt to be
your God; I am the LORD your God." Numbers 15:37-4
Training Tip – Read these scriptures to your family. Note that
within these scriptures is the command to teach scripture to your children. We
want our children to hear and understand scripture, just like the Shema—to hear,
pay attention, respond, and obey. Talk
about the Bible and about how God’s word never changes. It was important to God
when He gave these words to Moses in about 1410 BC for the Jews, it was
important in Jesus time, and even today it is important. Help your children
memorize a verse or two from these scriptures over the next few weeks or months.
For very small children choose just a verse, like Deuteronomy 6:5, You shall love the LORD your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (or mind). It is
one of my favorite scriptures and I have found it useful to recite when tempted
to think of other things than what God would have me think, do or say. It must
be important to God since it is repeated several times in the Bible and Jesus
used it in Luke 10:27, adding…and your
neighbor as yourself.
Lord God, I love You with all my heart, with all my
soul, and with all my might. I pray that my children and grandchild will love
You as I do.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
© 2013 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment