Today on Renewing Your Mind, a story about a monk A Baba and Prayer. Master Peter put a cloth around the man's neck to keep the whiskers from falling down his shirt. Lathered up the man's chin, and began to give the man a shave. The door opened and a new customer walked into his shop. Master Peter recognized the man immediately.
For he was an outlaw. R. C. Sproll was such an amazing communicator. whether in a seminary classroom, the pulpit, or at the Ligonier Valley Study Center, where Ligonier Ministries began over 50 years ago.
Dr. Sprohl sought to serve every age and stage of the Christian life. and he knew the importance of reaching the next generation. which is one reason why he wrote his children's books. You can own the beautifully illustrated children's book, The Barber Who Wanted to Pray.
Will you give a donation in support of furthering this mission to reach the next generation today only? at renewingyourmind.org. This is a one-day only offer, so don't delay. You might think that these stories are just for children. But listen to what Andrew shared with us.
I'm 86 years old and I listened to And there was times when I was trying to commit suicide and He'd come up with one of those children's stories that he wrote and it sorta got me through that. Then again at another time I felt like committing suicide because I wanted to give up because my family abandoned me. And again I heard him do one of those children's stories and got me through the suicide feeling again. And even when I heard that he passed on, I missed some of his stories, and I'm glad they bring him on once again to describe the Bible and the love God has for us.
Well, we're glad to bring this story to you again as we begin the journey to Reformation Day. Here's our sea sproll reading, The Baba Who Wanted to Pray. Every night at dinner, Mr. McFarland gathered his family together for devotions. mister and misses McFarlane had six children.
Two boys and four girls. The children's names were Donovan, Riley, Monday. Molly Aaron Claire Delaney And Shannon. It was mister McFarlane's practice to read a portion of Scripture every night and give a short explanation of it. Then he would ask each of the children to recite memory verses from the Bible.
and to answer catechism questions. Finally, mister McFarlane would lead the family in prayer. Each of the children would participate in the prayers in his or her own way. One night just after devotions had ended with the singing of a favoured hymn, The McFarlands' daughter Delaney spoke up, Daddy, she said, Your prayers are beautiful.
Sometimes I want to cry for joy when I listen to your prayers. But my prayers seem so simple and weak. I'm almost embarrassed and ashamed to pray out loud. Daddy, can you teach me how to pray? In a way that will make Jesus happy.
and will make me feel more comfortable. mister McFarlane smiled. I understand how you feel, Delaney, he said. When I was younger, I felt exactly the same way. I wasn't sure how to pray.
About all I knew when I was your age was the table grace. God is great. God is good. And we thank him for this food. Oh yes, I also knew my nighttime prayer.
Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take. But other than those two simple prayers, about the only thing I could say in prayer was, Dear God, please bless Mommy and Daddy and my brother and sister and Uncle Joe and Aunt Sue. Then, my grandfather told me a story that changed everything for me.
Do you think you might like to hear the story? Delanny said, Yes, I surely would. The other children who had been listening to the conversation between Delaney and their father nodded eagerly too.
So mister McFarlane told his children This story. Once upon a time In a village far across the sea There lived a barber. Everyone in the town knew him. He not only cut men's hair and shaved their beards, but he could do all sorts of things that people needed to have done. The villagers called him simply Master teacher.
One morning one of the village men came in for a shave. Master Peter put a cloth around the man's neck to keep the whiskers from falling down his shirt, Lathered up the man's chin, Got out his razor. and began to give the man a shave. While the barber was shaving the man, The door opened and a new customer walked into his shop. Master Peter recognized the man immediately.
For he was an outlaw. The Emperor of the Land had promised a large reward for anyone who could capture him, dead or alive. Master Peter knew that the authorities would take this man away if they could get their hands on him. When Master Peter finished shaving the first gentleman, He sent him on his way and motioned for the outlaw to have a seat. Master Peter asked, What can I do for you today, sir?
The outlaws said I would like to have a haircut. and a shave. Master Peter began to snip away at the man's hair, trimming it neatly. He then rubbed soap lather on his face to prepare him for a shave. Peter took out his razor.
and as he sharpened it on the straw beside the barber chair, His hands began to tremble. as he thought about the importance of the man who was sitting in his chair. He calmed himself down and began to shave the man's face, moving down from his cheeks. to his chin to his neck. Peter's razor was pressed very gently against the outlaw's neck.
All Peter had to do was press hard on the razor. And he would cut the man's throat killing him instantly. Then Peter could go to the emperor and say that he had taken care of the outlaw and he could claim the reward which would make him rich. But as his razor touched the man's neck, Master Peter thought to himself, There's not enough money in all the world to make me kill this man. He is my hero.
Master Peter knew the story of the man in his chair. The man had been a monk? Then a knight? And now he was a world-famous professor at the university in Peterstown. The world had been changed, and the whole church was better because.
the Reformer had been brave enough to stand up for the truth of the gospel of Jesus as no one had since the days of the Apostles. No one had so much courage as he. The name of the outlaw in the chair. was Martin Luther. The men whose protest had started the Protestant Reformation and recovered the gospel from darkness.
But because his teachings had disturbed some of the authorities, including the emperor himself, Those who were opposed to him had convinced the Emperor to banish Professor Luther.
Now they wanted to capture him and burn him at the stake. But the people who had discovered the truth of the gospel of Jesus because of this man's teaching loved him so much that they would rather lay down their lives than see him captured and executed. Dr. Luther's barber, Master Peter, was one of those people. Peter would never betray his hero.
Suddenly, Peter had an idea. He had been struggling with his prayers and. Dr. Luther was famous for his prayer life. He decided to ask Dr.
Luther for his advice while he was sitting in the barber chair. Peter said, Dr. Luther. I know who you are. It is a privilege for me to have you in my barber shop today.
I wonder whether I may ask you a question. Dr. Luther said, of course you may. How can I help you? Peter said, I have a problem.
I try to pray every night, but sometimes I feel that my prayers never go any further than the ceiling. I know that you pray for hours every day. There's probably no one who knows how to pray better than you do. Dr. Luther, do you think you could help me learn to pray better?
Dr. Luther said, That's a wonderful question, my friend. My students ask me very deep questions all the time about God and the Bible and church life. But rarely do they ask me about how to grow as a Christian. Nothing makes me happier than to learn that you want to pray in a deeper way.
Let me go back to my study and think about it, and perhaps I can write down a few ideas. that will help you pray more effectively. Thank you, Dr. Luther, Peter said. Then he quickly finished Doctor Luther's shave.
When Dr. Luther got back to his study, he picked up his pen. and began to write instructions for Master Peter. Dr. Luther wrote more than fifty books during his lifetime.
but perhaps the smallest and shortest book he ever wrote It was the one he wrote especially for his barber, Master Peter. In this book, Dr. Luther explained his method for prayer. He called the little book A simple way to pray. When the book was finished, Dr.
Luther went back to the barber shop. and gave the first copy to Master Peter. Peter couldn't believe that the great Martin Luther had taken time to write a book just for him.
so that he could learn how to pray. Dr. Luther said to begin with, You must learn three things by memory. The first is the Lord's Prayer. The second is the Ten Commandments.
And the third. is the Apostles' Creed. Then Dr. Luther went on to explain that once Peter knew these things by heart. He could use them to help himself pray.
For example, Dr. Luther said, You begin by praying. through the Lord's Prayer. Peter asked, Do you mean that all I have to do is just pray the Lord's Prayer every night? No, Dr.
Luther said, that's not what I mean. It's a wonderful thing to do. But what I mean by praying through the Lord's Prayer is doing something like this. Think about the first petition in the Lord's Prayer. Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed.
B Your name. When you think about these words, allow your mind and your heart. to give careful attention to what these words say. and let them move you. to deeper prayer.
Say the first line of the prayer. and then begin to pray like this. Oh God, it's hard for me to believe that you are really willing to be my Heavenly Father. In our family, we have our father whom we love. But you are the Father of all of us who put our faith in Jesus.
It's because Jesus is your Son, and through Him you have adopted us into your family, that we have the privilege to pray to you. as our father. We know that you don't have an address here in our village. But you reside in heaven itself? You're not our earthly father.
You are our Heavenly Father. And you are the one who owns the whole world. It's a wonderful thing that we have a Father who owns everything, to whom I can come in my prayer. Jesus taught us to say, Hallowed be your name. Father, help me to understand that there's nothing more important in my life and in my prayer.
than to give reverence and worship to your name. Lord, guard my tongue. that I may never use your name in a foolish or corrupt manner. But that when I speak of you and when I think of you, My heart will be moved to respect and adore you. You Dr.
Luther said to Peter, Do you understand what I mean by praying through the Lord's Prayer? You can pray through these parts of the Lord's Prayer every day and never make the same prayer twice. You can think about one portion of it. And give your attention to that. and your prayers will rise in excitement and in joy.
Then Dr. Luther said, now think about praying through the Ten Commandments. The first commandment says, You shall have no other gods before me. You can pray something like this. Lord God, We know that the world is filled with people who worship idols and statues.
who believe in many gods. And yet you and you alone are God.
Sometimes there are things in my life that I put ahead of you. Things that become my idols. Forgive me when I do that. Help me not to allow myself to have any other gods. in your sight.
Master Peter was very excited. I see what you mean, he said. Dr. Luther grinned. You can go through each one of the Ten Commandments in that manner, he said.
Or you can turn your attention to the Apostles' Creed. It begins with: I believe in God the Father Almighty. As you begin to think about that, you begin to think of the power God has. the strength that he displays. Our children think that we, as their earthly fathers, are so strong that we can do anything.
But we are complete weaklings compared to God because He is Almighty. And we love him not just for what he can do for us. but for who he is.
So we can pray and pray. Pray. Never get tired of praying. We can never run out of things to pray about if we focus our attention on the Lord's Prayer. On the Ten Commandments.
and on the Apostles' Creed. Master Peter could not thank Doctor Luther enough for teaching him the secret. to a simple way to pray. When mister McFarlane ended his story, He said to his children, Do you see why every night during our devotions I want to make sure That you are learning the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, and the Apostles' Creed. From now on, at our devotions, when you pray, I'm going to ask you to practice praying in the simple way.
that Dr. Luther taught his barber. The landing said, Thank you for telling us that story, Daddy. I can hardly wait to try Dr. Luther's way to pray.
In fact, can we have family devotions again tonight so we can try it? The other children said, Oh, yes, Daddy, please. mister McFarlane was delighted to see his children's new interest in prayer. He said with a smile. Let's pray.
In the time that's left on our broadcast today, I've asked Chris Larson. to be with me in the studio so that we can discuss some of the application of this story. Thank you, Chris, for being with us today, and let's just get right into it. Thank you, RC, for reading that story today. Tell us, where did you first hear the story of Master Peter and Martin Luther?
Of course, it was many, many years ago. I've spent a lot of time studying the life of Luther and. One of the things that I found striking in his ministry was how deeply dedicated he was to prayer. I mean, he would pray for at least an hour every day and sometimes two and three. hours a day.
He had first learned that discipline while he was in the monastery, and after he came out of the monastery he never abandoned it, and it was with him for his entire life.
So what made you decide to write a children's book about Master Peter and Martin Luther?
Well, my good friend Archie Parrish, who's the president of CERV International, goes around the country. and does clinics in churches on what he calls kingdom focussed prayer. And Archie is himself a prayer warrior, extraordinaire. and he and I were having a conversation once at dinner, About Luther and his prayer life, and about the episode in which he taught his barber. How to pray.
And so we came up with the idea of republishing That little book of Luther's A Simple Way to Pray with some Introduction to it. And we did that, and Archie and I did that together. And Archie has used that all over the country in the churches and for pastors, and frankly. That method that Luther taught the barber is a method I've used myself, and I find it absolutely exciting and incredible. And I was thinking this, Chris.
Let me just back up a little bit. People in the church. in many cases are overwhelmed with guilt. because of their ineffective prayer lives. And Pastors are always saying, you need to pray, you need to pray, you need to pray more, and people just feel more and more and more guilty.
Because nobody teaches them how to pray. The disciples themselves were in that mind, and they came to Jesus and they didn't say, teach us how to turn water into wine or how to walk on the water or calm the storm, but they said, teach us how to pray, because they saw the connection between Jesus' power prayer life. And that's how we got the Lord's Prayer in the first place. Not something we were to recite all the time, but it was a model to demonstrate how. To pray, how prayer should progress, and it begins with the most important first petition that we would.
Treat the name of God as holy. Hallowed be thy name. And so I was thinking, this has been so helpful to me, and it's been so helpful to adults. Why not for children? Why not children learning this method early on in their lives so that they can build on it.
As they get older and older. Because there's no end to praying through the Ten Commandments or the Lord's Prayer or the Apostles' Creed as a structure to trigger our thinking and the focus of our meditation. Because what we our prayers should be more and more and more focussed on adoration. and on the praise of God, and less and less and less On our own interceding for our wants and our needs, you know, where sometimes we bring a laundry list or a Christmas list and think that God is a heavenly Santa Claus. No.
The real depth of prayer comes when we are adoring God. What about posture? How important is it to teach children about posture in prayer?
Well, you know, Calvin thought that the best way to pray was standing up with your eyes open and looking up to the heavens with your arms uplifted. Other people feel more comfortable on their knees. I love to get down on my stomach, on the ground, on the rug. I think it's important to get comfortable.
So that you're not Thinking about how your body's feeling, but your entire focus is given to the exercise of prayer itself. But the good thing about bowing down, which is a classical method, is you're adopting a posture of adoration. while you're involved in prayer.
So, what can we as parents or even grandparents be doing to teach children to pray beyond reading this story?
Well, I think the most important thing that they can teach their children is to learn these three things that are in this story. To memorize the Apostles' Creed, to memorize the Ten Commandments, to memorize the Lord's Prayer, and then Demonstrate for them examples of how you focus on the different petitions or the different parts of the prayer itself. Thank you so much for the gift you've given here in this retelling of this story. No, it's my privilege and I I'm delighted with these little children's stories and I think so many times they're more helpful for the parents than they are for the children because every parent can be greatly blessed by learning this simple way to pray. for their own prayer clip.
As the father of For Myself. I hope that any parents or grandparents listening right now will take to heart what Dr. Sprohl was saying there about how important it is to emphasize these things to the children in our lives. Isn't the barber who wanted to pray a great story? Not only do you get to learn about prayer from Martin Luther himself, You'll also get to hear some church history as well.
Please consider giving a donation to support Renewing Your Mind and ligander ministries reach the next generation with truth. whether through this outreach and our other podcasts, our always ready youth apologetics events at Reformation Bible College, through our new Children's Bible curriculum, growing in God's Word, or as we develop new resources to serve the rising generations. and when you make your donation by calling us at eight hundred four three five four three four three or give it on line at Renewing Your Mind dot org, we'll send you the hard cover, beautifully illustrated edition of The Barber Who Wanted to Pray. We'll send it to you when you give a donation at renewingyourmind.org or by using the link in the podcast show notes. And for those who live outside of the US and Canada, the e-book edition of this story is available for you when you donate at renewingyourmind.org/slash global.
but these are one day only offers, so make your request before midnight to night. Before we close today, I'd like you to hear another testimony. You heard from Andrew earlier.
Well here's a message we received from Liz. I Remember first hearing Renewing Your Mind and 2002. I was so riveted by Dr. Sprohll's explanation of the scriptures and his Obvious gift for sound doctrine, I was totally blown away. I had come from a very Abusive childhood, and at the time had been self-medicating and had wound up getting addicted to drugs.
But after hearing Dr. Sproll and going back. Every day thereafter, to listen to him on Renewing Your Mind, I started to develop a real hunger for God's Word and I came. Can't go a day without listening to one of his messages. And it's just such a great blessing.
And I can't thank you all enough. I love what you're doing. And now that I'm gosh, I'm going to be eleven years into my sobriety in a couple of weeks. I can look back and really credit doctor Sproll's inspiration with getting me where I am today. God bless you all, and thank you so much.
Thank you, Les, for sharing your story of God's grace. And thank you for praying as the word of God goes out through outreaches like Renewing Your Mind. Because the Lord is at work. renewing minds and transforming lives. If you'd like to financially support Renewing Your Mind and help extend the reach of this trusted teaching, You can do so at renewingyourmind.org and we'll send you the story you heard today, the Baba Who Wanted to Pray.
Next week, we'll continue to think about the life and ministry of Martin Luther and the Lord's work during the Protestant Reformation. As you hear messages on the truths that were rediscovered and reaffirmed. During that pivotal moment in the 16th century.
So I do hope you'll join us beginning Monday here on Renewing Your Mind.
