Pray like this

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “The Power of Words”

Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honored as holy. 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.” Matthew 6:9:12 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “Pray like this”

We all want our prayers to be powerful and effective. We want our prayers to be meaningful and to accurately express our thoughts, feelings, and concerns to God. But sometimes we simply don’t know what to pray for or how to pray it. For those times a model prayer can be helpful.

In Matthew chapter six, in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught a lesson about praying. In it He gave us a model for prayer that we have come to call “The Lord’s Prayer.” Jesus didn’t necessarily mean for us to pray these exact words (although it is okay to do so). More than that, He was giving us a structure to guide our praying. Let’s break it down and see how we could use it as a guide for our own praying:

“Our Father in heaven” – Take a moment to think about God. Consider who He is and what He is like. Think about His glory and majesty. Just worship Him.

“Your name be honored” – Say: “Father, I love You and I want my life to honor you. I want you to be pleased with me. It is my desire for people to see your holiness reflected in my life.”

“Your kingdom come” – Pray about ways in which you can serve others in the name of Jesus and share the Good News of the Gospel with them. Affirm to God that you want to be a part of His kingdom-building work on earth.

“Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” – You could pray: “Help me to put aside my own will, my own preferences, priorities, and desires, and to genuinely seek your will.”

“Give us today our daily bread” – How about something like this: “Thank you Father, for the way you have blessed me in the past. I trust today, tomorrow, and all my tomorrows to You.” (Read Matthew 6:25-34 then claim that promise too and ask God to fulfill it again today in your life.)

“Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors” – This is about sins and offenses. Ask God to forgive you for your sins against Him, and affirm to Him that you will also forgive others for the offenses they have committed against you.

There are many model prayers in the Bible. There are also many other prayer guides and pre-printed prayers available to help guide our praying. As we grow in spiritual maturity our praying should become increasingly deep and meaningful. Models for prayer help to increase the power and effectiveness of our prayers. The words we say to God matter.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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