Praying like Jesus

Prayer day 1

“This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Matthew 6:9-13

“The first great and primary business to which I ought to attend to every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord.” -George Mueller

 

• Call your prayer partner for your 10 Minute Prayer Call. Keep trying to connect until you can pray together. What a blessing it is to have someone who cares and can pray with you!

• It’s time to meet with Jesus! Gather everything you need for a lovely quiet time this morning. Read Luke 11:1-13 and Matthew 6:8-15. Write Matthew 6:9-13 in your journal.

 

Praying Like Jesus

In Luke 11, we see one of our Lord’s disciples asking Jesus to teach them how to pray. It is interesting to note that this disciple didn’t assume how to pray. Instead, he asked the One who knows how to pray more than anyone else on this earth. What a wise disciple! In answer, Jesus gives His disciples the precious Lord’s Prayer, the model for all believers, then and now. I think it is fitting to start our study on prayer by examining these precious words of Jesus.

The Lord’s Prayer is so filled with goodness, but I do not think that Jesus gave it to us as the only way to pray. I believe the Lord loves all of the prayers of His people, in all nations, in all ways. He didn’t want us to have a “formula” per se, but a guide in the way that He prays so that we can give form to our prayers.

I would like to cover the basics of the Lord’s Prayer and what it has meant to me and how I pray. As always, pray and ask the Lord to teach you how to pray as you read His Word. In Matthew 6:9-13 we find:

“Our Father in heaven hallowed be your name”- The first thing Jesus does is praise His Father. Worshiping God is always first! He is worthy of our praise! So the first part of my daily prayers always start by telling God how wonderful He is. I also thank Him for all of the immense blessings in my life. When I ask Him for something, I continually do it with a spirit of thanksgiving.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”- This prayer teaches us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and to ask for help to do the will of God as you go through your day. In my prayers, I ask for every blessing I can think of–wisdom, close relationships with my family, good health, safety, financial blessings, etc., but I especially ask for a closer relationship with Jesus and a closer walk with Him for my family and myself.

When I remember that God loves me and wants to give good gifts to me, it helps to keep trusting Him when things don’t always go right, and difficulties come as they inevitably do. But believe me, I DO keep asking! I love the story that’s in Luke 11:5-13 about asking for bread at midnight, and asking in general. He wants us to keep asking and not to give up.

And therefore, we keep asking and do not give up, but we continue to pray fervently that God’s Kingdom may “come” in its fullness and that He will bring our will into harmony with His will.

Give us today our daily bread.”- God wants us to ask Him for our every need. In Luke 11:13 we see that God loves to give good gifts to His children. Think big about your God in your prayers, and make sure you remember to pray for others as well as yourself. Pray for salvation, healing, and blessings for the people in your life and your world. Ask God to help their marriages to be strong, and for Christian prisoners to be set free.

Pray for your family to put God first, and have a close relationship with each other. Ask God to help you see your husband and children’s hearts and for you to love them well. Seek God’s wisdom and knowledge so you can be the “Wise woman who builds her house, and not the foolish woman who tears hers down.” (Proverbs 14:1)

Forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors.”- In Luke 11:4 it says “Forgive us our sins for we forgive everyone who sins against us.” Wow! That’s amazing to think about forgiving everyone who has sinned against us. We need to seek forgiveness from God and others, and we also need to forgive everyone who has sinned against us. It’s not easy, for sure, but Jesus tells us to do it.

So, every time I have my devotional prayer time before I take communion, or anytime the Holy Spirit convicts me of a sin, or unkind or gossipy word, or anything that is against God’s Word, I always say “I’m sorry” to God. I yearn to keep my heart in a state of being aware of my sin and confessing it to God.

In the end, we don’t have to be good or try to please Him all on our own strength. He wants us to stay close and rely on Him.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”-This passage tells us to ask God to protect us from sinning and from the devil. I know I am sometimes tempted not to trust God, and to try to control my circumstances instead of giving God control and letting Him work.

I also struggle with the fear of man, and I worry too much about pleasing people and what they think of me. I pray every day that God would help my family and myself to obey Him, and not be tempted to sin. I also pray for protection from Satan.

Please remember that there is no formula for your prayers. Prayer is simply talking to your friend Jesus, your God, who loves you more than you could ever know! Just like we always say in the Help Club, “you do you!”

Questions to Ponder

  • Pray and ask God what He wants you to know about the Lord’s Prayer.
  • Is there anything you would like to implement in your prayer time from today’s study?

Faith Filled Idea

Take the whole week to answer these questions in your journal. Pray and ask God to help you write out some of your basic prayers:

  • Worship and praise God for who He is and what He means to you.
  • Express thanks for all He has done for you and each answer to prayer.
  • Always acknowledge God’s kingdom and His will above your own.
  • Always seek forgiveness from God and others. Ask God to show you where you’ve sinned and confess, remembering that He promises to be faithful to forgive us. Is there someone you’ve sinned against and need to ask forgiveness of them?
  • Pray and ask for help when you are tempted to disobey God. Pray for protection from the devil’s schemes.

Prayer_Day1_800x800

[box type=”download”]

Join the Community! Answer today’s question in the comment box so we can all get to know one another! We at the HCFM are praying for our online community to build relationships, even if they are across the country or the world! 🙂

 

-Is there anything you could share that God spoke to you today about The Lord’s Prayer?

 

[/box]
Deb Weakly

13 Comments on “Praying like Jesus”

  1. Today, I was reminded to keep asking, like the man at midnight. There were things I had been praying for but because I didn’t get an answer yet, I stopped praying about them. Or because they are things that look impossible to me, I don’t ask. But nothing is impossible with God! He loves us and wants to give us good gifts!
    Thank you for this beautiful message on prayer!

    1. Thanks so much Jennifer!! I LOVE that story and feel like I have many unanswered prayers as well. I will not stop praying! I know God hears me and is working!

  2. Thank you for breaking down the Lord’s Prayer!!! May God continue to bless you with many more topics to share with us… Never enough information about the bible… I always tell my kids ask & you shall receive… he always hears your prayers.

    1. You are so right! God loves it when we ask Him for what we need! Your children are so blessed to have a mom like you who encourages them to trust their Heavenly Father for everything in their lives! Blessings to you and your family!

  3. For me, the biggest thing he spoke to me today about this study is that we just need to ASK Him for whatever we need. Even though it may not be answered as we think it will be or even when it will be, he will answer us! This ties into what Mari Jo mentioned too, that he knows what we need even before we ask him. That verse (v8) is so big to me and is something that really encourages me everyday–that he already has a plan for us and we can trust in Him for everything.

    1. I love that Kristall! He loves for us to ask! He loves for us to trust Him and His care for us! I am so thankful for the love of Christ. He is so great!
      Thanks for your insight! 🙂

  4. This study really helped break things down for me!! Prayer is a difficult subject for me from my past and I am looking forward to the rest of this weeks study on it!! Prayers for guidance from God in this study would be greatly appreciate!

    1. Thanks so much Kayla! Prayer can feel challenging, but God will teach you. He longs for us to see Him as our Father, and wants us to be like the “weaned child” in Psalm 131. He wants us to be trusting like His little girl and talk to Him in a personal way.
      I will be praying for you!

  5. Hi Deb! This morning the Lord reminded me that He knows EVERYTHING about me. Every single thing. He know what I need before I even ask Him! This is such a great encouragement and helps me to trust that He will work things out no matter how impossible it may look.

    Thanks for this wonderful Devo on prayer!

    1. I agree Mari Jo! I am so thankful for the simple fact that God knows me and loves it when I pray! He is so good! He is our perfect Father who never tires of His children. We are so blessed to be His children!
      Thanks so much for sharing your wisdom!!

Leave a Reply to Jennifer Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Time limit is exhausted. Please reload the CAPTCHA.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.