“This, then, is how you should pray:”
What is prayer? Prayer is petition, praise, and thanks offered to God. It is recognition of God and honor given towards His presence in your life. Prayer is your best way of spending time listening to and talking with God.
Bill Hybels gives a beautiful example for learning how to pray in his book, Too Busy Not to Pray
. He says we should think of the book of ACTS when we think about praying:
A – Adoration: Entering Holy Space (I worship you and praise you because you are…)
C – Confession: Naming Our Faults (I confess that I…I need your forgiveness for the sin of…Please give me your strength to forsake that sin / to make restitution / to accept your forgiveness and the new life you give me…)
T – Thanksgiving – Expressing Gratitude (I praise you and I thank you for answered prayers / for spiritual blessings / for relational blessings / for marital blessing…)
S – Supplication: Asking for Help (Here are my requests for other people / for myself…)
Look at the prayer example given by Jesus.
v. 9 – Here Jesus recognizes the presence of God and His holiness (adoration). God is in heaven and yet He still is very personal. God transcends everything and yet chooses to be involved with all. His name is holy, and we bear that name and should recognize the responsibility we have for bearing His name!
v. 10 – In our adoration, we understand that God’s kingdom is coming in full and we want to be a part of that coming kingdom. Yes, His kingdom is present and is now but also the fullness is to yet come with the return of Christ.
Recognition of God’s kingdom further helps us to see why He is our Supreme Lord. This is His kingdom and He only has right to rule. Yet He chooses us to be a part of this kingdom to care for it and to help it grow. His will is that all should come to repentance and acceptance of His grace and love. God does not change. He does not have rules in heaven that do not apply on earth. His will is the same for all. How do we know His will?
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
v. 11 – God is Jehovah-Jireh. God is the Provider and Sustainer of life. He provides for us everyday and we should be thankful. In this provision, however, we do not have the right to become lazy. Yes, God provides, but He provides for those who earnestly apply themselves to His kingdom and in their work. But I lost my job? Find another and while looking find ways to serve God and others. I could go on and on about this one.
We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. Hebrews 6:12 (NIV)
v. 12 – Forgiveness. Forgiveness is a two way street. When we ask for forgiveness from God, we had better be prepared to forgive others! If you are holding on to a grudge, then you are out of God’s will and in danger of not receiving His forgiveness. I am going to jump ahead and tackle verses 14 and 15 here also:
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)
We do not have the right to receive love from God who forgives if we cannot also forgive. If someone has insulted your children and you do not forgive, you are in danger of not being forgiven. If someone is abrupt with you and you will not let it go through forgiveness, then you are in danger of not receiving God’s forgiveness. If someone attacks your lifestyle and you seek only to attack back and not forgive, then you will not receive God’s forgiveness.
Children are great when it comes to forgiveness. They bicker about all kinds of things, and yet within minutes or hours they are playing as if nothing ever happened. When as adults did we lose this innocence? How do we forget the love that is so great that forgives us? Learn to forgive and experience God’s love in full!
v. 13 – “Lead us not into temptation” is a very difficult passage for some. Why? They cannot seem to understand why they are having trials in life when God is “supposed to be keeping them from temptation.” The problem here is with interpretation.
The example of prayer given by Jesus is not for us to avoid temptation but for us to not fall for the temptation. God allows us to be tested in order to “refine” us, as one commentary puts it. We will not grow if we do not face tests in life. Tests make us stronger and help us to see what we are truly capable of through Jesus who is our strength.
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NIV)
We pray here to ask for God to help us defeat the evil that attacks us everyday. Temptation happens, and we need God’s strength to overcome it. By praying this way, we are acknowledging God’s active role in our daily lives. It is here that we begin to understand the presence of the Holy Spirit and His role in Comfort and Guidance.
Now, your version of the Bible may have added “for thine is the kingdom, forever and ever.” This was probably added to later versions of the original text through oral tradition. This does not mean it is false or proves that the Bible is a fluke. It shows that the oral tradition was highly respected by some and should be included in the interpretation. The NIV version chooses to not include it but acknowledges the rich heritage of the oral traditions.
- With that said, what have you learned about your prayer life?
- How do you offer adoration, confession, thanks, and requests?
- Do you have a deeper understanding for the power of the Lord’s Prayer?
- How much time do you spend talking to God? Do you spend an equal amount of time listening or do you dominate the conversation?
- Who do you need to forgive today and start afresh in your relationship?
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