Pastor’s eNote: Weekly Update

My favorite verse about prayer is this one:

It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, when He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John also taught his disciples.”

– Luke 11:1 (NASB 2020)

In the verses which follow, Jesus shares what we call the Lord’s Prayer with the disciples. The prayer itself is a response to the question, “Lord, teach us to pray…” That question is freeing for me. Prayer is something that is taught, therefore, it is something which is learned.

Too many believers feel that prayer should just come naturally to any Christian. This is simply not the case for most people. When I ask for someone in the room to lead us in prayer, I am often met with silence. We need to learn how to pray.

I find that many are confused by the purpose and nature of prayer. What are we praying for? Why are we praying? How does my belief about an all-powerful God affect what I pray for? Doesn’t God already know before I even speak? What is the point of it?

There are many good responses to these question, but perhaps C.S. Lewis puts it best:

“Prayer is not about changing God’s mind, but about being changed by Him.”

-Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

There it is! Being changed by Him is the center of prayer. If this is true, then prayer is about our relationship with the Father and how we are becoming more like His son, Jesus. Prayer is a means of grace to us since it aligns our heart and mind with God. When we pray, we are not seeking things from God. We are seeking God!

This Sunday we begin a new series on the Lord’s Prayer with a special emphasis on our relationship with the Father. Each week we will hear the Lord’s Prayer in different languages. We will also explore the Lord’s Prayer through the eyes of Moses in Exodus and Deuteronomy.

Join with me in prayer for this series and FFMC. God is calling us deeper into prayer as a whole church. May this be a season to explore the glorious grace of God in prayer.

Grace to You All,

Pastor Craig Brown
(October 14, 2025)