To better understand how and what Jesus is teaching us to pray, it helps to explore Jewish aspects of prayer. It starts with the opening, which in Hebrew would be: Avinu shebashamayim (our Father in the heavens). This is a very Jewish concept, in two ways: (1) Jewish prayer is communal or corporate, and (2) directed to “our Father.” How we pray depends on to whom we are praying.
Scripture: Matthew 6:5-15; 7:7-11
