I’ll never forget my first trip out of town to play travel baseball when I was thirteen years old. I had played on the rec league all star team before. But this was different. I was playing with a select team from a different town. New uniforms. New coaches. New expectations.
And a new ritual that I had not been accustomed to participating in prior to this day.
We got dressed. We stretched. We threw. Took batting practice. Listened to the coach’s pregame speech. But before the game began we took a jog to the foul pole. One by one, players began to kneel, removed their caps, and began to recite, “Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…”
Now, I had heard that prayer many times before. Church and baseball were my national pastimes. But as the recitation of that prayer continued my voice began to wane. And I was embarrassed. How did I not have this prayer committed to memory?
I was so humiliated on the inside that I went home that weekend and made it my mission that my voice would never fade into the background of its recitation ever again. I was going to be a leader in our “clubhouse.” I was an outspoken Christian who was going to lead the way with my words and actions on the field in regards to my faith.
Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to speak in various environments with teams, teens, camps, retreats, and churches. And what I’ve found is that we all have a code. Code words. Code phrases. Words to live by. Catchy little phrases from a pep talk.
And while there are many verses in the Bible that I’ve leaned on at various times in my 30 year faith journey, the model prayer of Jesus has provided some real stakes in the ground for me in regards to my faith.
Jesus said something to the likes of, “when you pray, pray this way,
‘Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.'”
Jesus acclaimed this prayer to be a ‘model’ to formulate the words of adoration, praise, gratitude, and confession to our Creator, Father, and King. However, if we’re not careful we’ll make it our mission to memorize these 66 words without allowing the implications of these words to transform our lives.
I’m not a scholar or great orator with words but I’ve read and committed this model prayer to memory, and I’ve asked the Spirit of God to give me wisdom and insight for daily living in regards to its capacity to change me and to shape my attitude regarding my circumstances.
Reciting this prayer is not for the people who may hear the words spoken from my lips. It’s a conversation with the one who’s being addressed; my Father. He’s lending His holy ear to the vulnerable voice of one of His children who desperately needs His attention and provision. The one worthy of my praise.
Kortney Jones 
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