Did you know Jesus gave us an outline on how to pray? Even if you weren’t raised in the church you have probably heard the Lord’s prayer, but did you know it wasn’t meant to JUST be recited? It was mean to be an outline for you to use daily.
Matthew 6:5-14 5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
So let’s break this down and make it a little easier to understand.
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name
The first priority is to recognize WHO god is.
Jason preached on recognizing God as KING (from this same prayer). We should also recognize him as our FATHER. Being friends with the king can bring many blessings, but it can also be dangerous if you become complacent…this is why it is followed up with “hallowed be your name.” Yes he is our Father, but he is also our righteous and perfect king, and needs to be respected as such
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Ask God to carry out his will above your own.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Trust in Him, his plans, and ask for his will to be carried out in all things.
Give us today our daily bread.
Everyone has at least seen this line…it’s on every fall decoration in Walmart right now. We look at bread today as an “extra” or in some cases part of a cheat-meal. (Ohhhh delicious carbs), but in biblical times it was looked at more of a necessity. “Give us this day our daily bread” mean to ask God for what you NEED, not what you want. It’s not “give us today our daily milk and honey”
***This is not to say God doesn’t want to give you what you want as long as it lines up with his word***
Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Psalm 37:4 “Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
What it does mean is to ask for what you need as a priority over what you want.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Forgiveness is mentioned 150 times in the NIV Bible. The key here isn’t just to ask for forgiveness, it is also focusing on the importance of forgiving others and to ask for God’s help doing so.
13 And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one.”
Break those chains daily! You will be tempted to sin multiple times a day. Not only is it ok to ask for help avoiding those temptations, but God WANTS you to ask for his help overcoming them.
DISCUSSION:
What kinds of things do you pray for?
Would you be comfortable praying out loud in a group like this? Why or why not?
Can you think of other times prayer is modeled for us in the Bible?
How often, do you think, is the ideal amount of times to pray through the day?
STUDY AT HOME:
Read Luke 11
What about your prayer life has to change because of this passage?
Practice! The more you use this template the easier it will become. Let us know how it goes this week.