SOM Mathew 6:5

The next point of Jesus’ sermon has to do with prayer

I don’t think you need me to teach you anything about prayer
- one year in Russia, an orphan tried to teach me the alphabet
• but she gave up on me – there was just one letter, I could not pronounce well enough to please her
◦ I couldn’t even hear the sound she was making when she said the letter
• prayer isn’t like that– prayer is the native language of every child of our heavenly Father
◦ we may feel we're not doing it right,
◦ but God hears what we feel and need even if we can’t put those things into words
- there’s no Christian life or experience without prayer
• if you want lessons on prayer, read the Psalms
◦ there you’ll find every prayer imaginable, and nothing is out of bounds
• otherwise, there is also Paul's explanation of how God’s Spirit helps us and prays within us
◦ and in those instances, words are optional