Prayer is simply “speaking to God”. When we pray, we don’t have to
use complicated or memorized phrases. Talk to God in the same way as you
would talk to any other person. Tell Him about your problems, your
hurts, your worries, and your joys. Remember that He loves you and all
that is important to you is important to Him. It doesn’t matter when or
where you pray. You can do it while you’re driving, at work, or before
you go to bed. He is always listening. How should you pray? In Matthew 6:9-13
Jesus gives His disciples an example prayer they can follow. This
prayer is commonly called “the Lord’s Prayer”. Christ’s intention was
not that you memorize this prayer and repeat it every time you pray.
Actually, Christ warns us against this (Matthew 6:7)! Rather, it was to serve as a model or a pattern for us to follow.
Our Father: You can come to Him as to a father (Romans 8:15-16). In the same way that a father loves his children, God loves you and wants to hear from you.
Who art in heaven: Even though He is your Father, you should
remember that He is no ordinary Father, but One who reigns in Heaven.
Jesus is the “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” and is in control of
everything. He can save you, help you, strengthen you, or do anything
else you might need.
Hallowed be Thy name: An important part of prayer is giving
thanks and praise to our Lord. Praise Him for who He is, for what He has
done, and what He promises He will do. God is not forced to do anything
for us, it all comes as a result of His grace. So give thanks to God
every day for something (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 and Psalm 34:1).
Thy kingdom come: Pray also for the Lord’s return. Jesus promised that even though He was leaving us, He would return for us (John 14:1-6 and Acts 1:1-11). Tell Him how much you are anticipating His return.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven: Jesus promised that whatever we ask in His name, He will do (John 14:13-14).
To ask in His name means to ask according to His will. In other words,
when we pray to God we should be seeking His will, even above our own. (Matthew 6:10 and 26:39)
Give us this day our daily bread: Even though we are to pray
according to the will of God, this does not exclude us from presenting
our needs and petitions to Him. You may be suffering from worry, or have
financial or health problems. Tell all of this to God, He wants to hear
it. You can also pray for the needs of others. It can be for their
salvation, their health, or any other area in which they may be
suffering. Prayer should not focus only upon ourselves, it should
include others; your friends, family, church and leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-2 and Ephesians 6:18). Jesus always prayed for others (John 17:1-26 and Luke 22:31-32).
And forgive us our debts: When you have sinned, you should
always come to the Lord in prayer asking for forgiveness. Many times
people don’t feel like they can approach God and that He won’t hear
them. The Bible says that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
As we have also forgiven our debtors: If you are struggling to
forgive someone, ask the Lord to help you. He says in His Word that it
is a sin not to forgive others (Matthew 11:25 and Colossians 3:13).
And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from evil:
Ask God to protect you from sin and temptation. If you are struggling
with a particular sin, confess it to the Lord and ask Him for His
strength to be victorious over it. Jesus told His disciples that
anything they asked in His name He would do. As we saw earlier, to ask
in His name means to ask according to His will. This means sometimes the
Lord will not give us what we ask. Remember, God loves you and wants
the very best for you all the time. He will never give you anything that
will hurt you later.