The Irony of Ironies

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. ⁹ Pray then like this:  “Our Father in heaven,   hallowed be your name.
¹⁰ Your kingdom come,   your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us this day our daily bread, ¹² and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
¹³ And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.-- Matthew 6:7-13 (www.lifejournal.cc)
I find it to be the greatest irony that the one prayer that people pray more mindlessly with empty phraseology than any other is the Lord's prayer, which was the Lord's attempt to show us how we don't need to pray mindlessly with empty phrases.   In a typical crowd bring up Jesus and you will split the crowd but have a crowd pray the Lord's prayer they will jump abroad mindlessly.  Although Jesus said pray like this, I really don't believe that he was giving us a token prayer to repeat so that everyone could join in and no one would be offended.  That is the common place for the Lord's prayer today, as I see it.  
Instead of asking us to quote His words, I believe Jesus was showing us the elements that make up a great prayer.  It begins by acknowledging God for Who He is.  He is not one of us, He is heavenly.  He is not common stance, He is Holy. 
That is followed by the intention of our prayer: It is not to get our will done in heaven, but His Will accomplished on earth through us. 
That is followed, not by a long Santa list of all our wants, but the daily providing of our necessities and the forgiveness of our sins.   Don't miss our part in that.  We must forgive others as well. 
That is followed by asking the Lord to lead us on the right path and not allow us to venture into the ungodly.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen is often debated whether it goes on the end.  Some translations have it, others do not (that has to do with it being found inconsistently in "the closer to the original" manuscripts).  That ending, of course, points us back to giving Him praise as we close the prayer. 
Praying in the way that God showed us is not about mindlessly repeating his memorized phrases.  That is actually what He was preaching against.  It is instead about giving Him praise, acknowledging His Place, asking for His Provision, asking for His Forgiveness, committing to forgive as He does, asking for His Guidance, and, once again, giving Him praise. 
Pray a prayer like that and you will honor Your Lord today.  Let's put our heart, MIND, and soul into our prayers.   May God richly bless you today.