Date: 3/22/09

Prayer Series 2

How to Pray

• Last week we discussed the things that we should not do in prayer

• This week I want for us take some time and see what Jesus tells us we should do in prayer

• There is power in prayer and if we follow Jesus’ example I believe that we all will experience newness in our prayer life!

How to Pray

Matthew 6:5-13

• In case you have forgotten we are studying Matthew 6:5-13

• Verses 5-8 speak of what we should not do in prayer

• We looked at these things last week – if you missed it check out the blog as the lesson is posted there

• But now that we know what we should not do lets take a look at what Jesus says we should do

• Again I will break this up and take a couple scriptures at a time

9 In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,…

• Jesus tells us to address God as our Father as God loves to hear us call Him by this name

• Jesus continually called God His father and we are called to do likewise

• When we recognize God as our Father it helps remind us that God will take pity on our weaknesses and our infirmities

• He will spare us

• He will deny us nothing

• God wants us to remember that He is our provider and that He is in control of our lives

• As our Father we know that we can approach Him in boldness knowing all above

…Hallowed be Your name.

• When we say hallowed be your name we are giving the glory to God

• We should give God the glory for all things before we expect Him to give us mercy and grace

• We need to give him the praise of his perfections

• Then we might be able to have the benefit of those perfections

• This is as if to pray, “Lord glorify yourself by giving me…my daily bread…my job…my health…”

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

• God has promised His return

• Here we see that we need to pray for God’s promises

• Promises are given to us so that we can lift those up

• Your will be done…we pray that we are giving our lives over to God

• Just as the Lord’s will is done in earth we need to pray that His will is done here on earth

• This begins in us and we need to show God that we are serious to do so

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

• In this brief verse there is great depth

• First off we pray for our physical wellbeing because it directly effects our spiritual wellbeing

• We pray for bread because it is simple and nothing more than what we need

• It is not excessive it is simply just what we need

• We pray for “daily bread” not monthly bread, not yearly bread

• We ask for it simply as daily bread because we show God that we are relying on Him each day

• God wants us to know that we need Him and that we simply are asking for covering us for today and teaches us to not worry about tomorrow

• By asking God to give it we are asking God to give it to us and not expecting our own strengths to supply it

• We also see the use of the word us and our because we again are reminded that we need to be praying for each other

12 And forgive us our debts,

As we forgive our debtors.

• We ask God for forgiveness and grace

• This recognizes the fact that salvation only comes from God

• We find forgiveness of sins only in the grace of God and we must ask for it!!!

• We pray this to remind ourselves that God is where our salvation lies

• In this verse we also see that we are needing to remind ourselves through prayer to release peoples sins against us

• Just as God has released us we need to release others

• When we speak this with our mouth it makes a lasting impression

13 And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one…

• Here we are praying for God’s strength to defeat the enemy in our life

• We have already asked for the Lord’s forgiveness

• Now it is time to prayer for the Lord’s strength and wisdom to stand against the enemy

• We also are asking that the Lord shield us from the enemies attacks

• How many times do we neglect to do that

• We are all good at asking for the forgiveness

• However I think that many of us forget to then ask to be shielded from the attack

Closing Prayer

…For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

• This is a form of praise and thanksgiving as we conclude our prayer

• God knows that His is the Kingdom, that His is the power, that His is the glory

• But He loves hearing this directly from us

• We need to close our prayer in worship!

• And finally Amen

• Amen is the word that God has given us to seal the prayer

• Amen loosely translated means “so be it”

• We have prayed it and now in confidence we know that He will answer those prayers!