Admirers vs. Advancers
How to Pray
Scripture Reading: Matthew 6:5-15
Key Verse: Matthew 6:9
“This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name
If we are going to move from simply being an admirer of Christ to an advancer in our faith, we must grow our prayer life! Anyone who says they can’t understand the Bible will love today’s scripture: “This, then, is how you should pray.” What don’t you understand about those words?
Jesus points to the Father in heaven first as He explains the model for our prayers. Start with recognition of God being a great Father. Say that phrase and stop a few moments to praise Him for all He is and all He has done for you! Second, Jesus wants us to remember that we should reverence God’s name, not use it in vain! Remember to say the words, “hallowed is your name,” and live a life worthy of that name.
Third, Jesus taught us to request God’s “kingdom to come” to our lives fresh every day; every truth and principle to be operating in us each day! Along with that, to surrender to His perfect will and purpose for our lives and our world.
The fourth thing Jesus tells us to say in our prayers is about our needs. We can pray for our daily bread, the daily resources that we need to live in this world. It is at this point that you can bring all your needs to Him! Next, Jesus reminds us to confess any sins that we need to repent of, and to be sure to forgive anyone who has hurt us! Finally, Jesus instructed us to end our prayers with requesting our Father’s help and protection from the evil one and his temptations. This is how you should pray!
Father, thank you for guiding us in our prayer life. Thank you for inviting us into that conversation with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.