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Word Bank
Do you know how to pray? The Bible has many examples of prayer, even a full book of prayers.
Luke 11:1, Psalms
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I have a son who is currently 2 years old. He’ll soon be three. As you can well imagine he is full, full of things to save these days. Some of them are even understandable, some of them are even intelligible. He always knows what he is trying to say. He’s very confident about what he’s trying to express, but his vocabulary at this point is incomplete or it’s hard for him to articulate it, or use the right words. His word bank, his vocabulary, is constantly being filled up. And that happens by him listening to the words that are read to him or the conversations that are had with him or even around him. Even if it’s not being spoken to him. His word bank is constantly being filled and in this way he is being taught to speak.
Curiously Jesus own disciples, his adult disciples, ask for this very same child like tutoring. They ask to be taught to speak, to speak to the Lord. They say Lord teach us to pray. (Luke 11) Teach us to speak. They’re literally asking for their own word bank to be filled up so that their mouths might be taught to enunciate who God is and how God is for them and for their own benefit. In this instance Jesus teaches them a prayer that’s fairly familiar. He teaches them the Lord’s Prayer.
But one could properly say there’s an entire book of the scriptures that is a word bank for talking to God. The Book of the Psalms is like one giant prayer book and with it the Lord speaks and has written even for our benefit so that our word bank, that our vocabulary in prayer might be built up with the Lord. So that we might be capable of speaking of who the Lord is. The one who has created the heavens and the earth. So that we might be right and correct in speaking about who we are, those who are sinful, who’s sin is always before the Lord. And finally that we might speak confidently and certainly about the works that God has done for us and for our benefit. Oh bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all his benefits. The one who heals diseases, who redeems life from the pit.
What a gracious gift God gives a World Bank that he builds our vocabulary for speaking with him. Oh Lord open my lips and my mouth will show forth your praise. Amen.
