EP120: Prayer & The Lords Prayer

Prayer isn’t performance it’s presence.

It’s not about fancy words, it’s about a faithful heart.

In this episode, Laurence breaks down Matthew 6:5–15 the words of Jesus Himself to remind us that prayer isn’t about being seen by others, but being known by God.

Discover how to deepen your prayer life, release the weight of unforgiveness, and rest in the peace that comes when we talk openly with our Heavenly Father.

Episode Transcript

(00:04):
The wooden cricket. What's up family, It's your boy
Lawrence and you're tuning in tothe Wooden Cricket podcast.
We've made it to Friday. Can we just take a second to

(00:24):
thank God for getting us throughanother work week?
And before we dive in, I gotta give a special shout out to our
new wooden cricket family members tuning in from Colombia
and South Africa. Welcome, welcome, welcome.
It is so wild to see how God keeps connecting hearts all over

(00:47):
the world through His Word, different languages, different
countries, but one Savior, Jesus.
And I just think it's so cool. It's so fantastic.
So thank you for being here and welcome.
Today's message is one that cutsright to the core.
We're talking about prayer. You know, prayer is one of those

(01:08):
things that can be beautiful. It can also be intimidating,
kind of. Maybe you've heard people pray
with big words or long emotionalspeeches and you thought, man, I
don't sell like that at all. The family prayer was never
meant to be a big crazy performance.

(01:30):
It's not about sounding holy, it's about being honest.
Prayer is how we draw near to God through Jesus Christ.
It's how we talk, listen, and lean in close.
It's the conversation that helpskeep our faith alive.
And in Matthew chapter 6, verses5 through 15, Jesus gives us the

(01:55):
most powerful model there is, the Lord's Prayer, not as a
script, but as a way to shape our hearts.
So we'll read that together. Jesus says when you pray, don't
be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on the street
corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them.

(02:16):
I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever
get. But when you pray, go away by
yourself. Shut the door behind you and
pray to your Father and private.Then your Father, who sees
everything, will reward you whenyou pray.
Don't Babble on and on as peopleof other religions do.

(02:39):
They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating
their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your
Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask Him.
Pray like this our Father in heaven, May your name be kept
holy. May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

(03:01):
Give us to day the food we need,and forgive us our sins as we
have forgiven those who sin against us.
Don't let us yield to temptationtemptation, but rescue us from
the evil. 1 If you forgive thosewho sin against you, your
heavenly Father will forgive you, but if you refuse to
forgive others, your Father willnot forgive your sins.

(03:24):
I love how Jesus says go away byyourself, shut the door and
pray. He is not saying hide from
people, He's saying get real with me because when it's just
you and God, no audience, no filter, it's where the walls

(03:45):
start to fall down. You can drop the act.
You can stop pretending everything's fine.
You can just talk. That's what prayer is.
It's conversation, not competition.
I don't think Jesus is necessarily impressed by big old

(04:06):
long prayers. He's moved by sincere ones.
If all you can manage to muster up is got him tired, that's a
prayer. If all you can manage to say is
thank you through the tears, that's a prayer.
If you can't even speak and get words out, but your heart aches

(04:30):
for Him, your heart aches for Jesus, He still hears you.
God already knows your needs, but He loves when you bring them
to Him because that's trust. That's relationship.
Prayer doesn't have to be perfect, not at all.

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It just has to be real. And here's the thing, family.
Sometimes prayer doesn't change what's around you, but it will
always change what's inside of you.
It softens your heart. It's straightens your
priorities. It reminds you who's really in

(05:12):
charge and it's not you. Every time you pray, you're
letting go of control and saying, God, I trust you more
than I trust myself. And that's powerful.
Jesus ties forgiveness right into prayer and man, it hits

(05:32):
home because forgiveness is hard.
It's really hard. It's human to hold grudges.
It's natural to want some sort of payback, but Jesus calls us
higher. He reminds us that we've been
forgiven, that we're called to forgive.

(05:53):
And I know it's not easy, but it's freedom.
You can't carry bitterness and peace at the same time.
One of them has to go and through Jesus you can let it go.
When Jesus said pray like this, he wasn't giving us a script.

(06:14):
He was showing us how to align our hearts with God.
Every line of that prayer is deep.
His Holiness, His Kingdom, His will before ours, our daily
needs, His mercy, His protectionall covered.
It's not a prayer to rush, it's a perk to live by.

(06:37):
And when you say Kingdom come for your Kingdom come, you're
saying, Lord, reign over my lifetoday.
When you pray, give us today OurDaily Bread.
You're choosing to trust Him oneday at a time.
When you say forgive us, you're remembering that grace isn't
earned, it's given. And when you ask Him to deliver

(07:01):
you, you're declaring that no darkness has the power over His
light. This isn't just a prayer, it's a
way of life. So as the weekend rolls in, find
a quiet moment, maybe in your car, maybe in your room before
bed, and just talk to your father.

(07:24):
No script, no filter, just you in him.
Because prayer isn't a rule, it's a relationship.
And when you start walking in that, you start feeling His
peace. Move through everything you do.
And if you don't have a church family yet, you already know
where to start. Check out Calvary Temple online

(07:47):
from wherever you are. I promise you'll find love,
truth, and community there. Until next time, family, stay
rooted in the Word. Stay prayerful in spirit and as
always, be a bright light in a dark place until tomorrow.
I'm out. Peace.