Our Father...

April 21, 2009

Danielle Joyner Kelley

Learning how to pray is not easy. We always wonder whether we are saying the right thing. When you are praying how do you pray for yourself? When are you praying for others? When you pray for others what do you pray for them?

Jesus told us how to pray:

“So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.” Luke 11:2-4.

So many of us know that prayer. We have recited it over and over and many of us don’t understand what it means truly. But Jesus did, and He knew how it encompasses how you should pray. First, you are praying to your Father in Heaven, and praising His name. Then you are asking that His kingdom come, and His will (not your will) be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. You want His will done here just as it is done in Heaven (holy and full of love). You are asking for your daily bread. Not just bread that we eat, but for Him to show us what is due to us that day. What sins have we committed that we need to bear the consequence of so that we can continue walking in Him? It is what you are due, which includes food, but also includes accepting whatever His answer is in your life to keep you growing in Him. Then we ask for forgiveness, and forgive others. Then we ask Him to lead us not into temptation, but to deliver us from Satan. God will not tempt you, so you are asking Him to not allow you to fall into it and deliver you from Satan if you do.

That prayer is selfless. It is a prayer where you say, “God it is your way not my way.” It is a prayer where you say, “God let me know what I can to do grow in you even if that includes accepting the consequences of what I have done.” It is a prayer where you say, “I forgive others so that You will forgive me.” It is a prayer where you say, “God your name is perfect and all-powerful, Praise to You.” It is a prayer where you say, “God I know that here on Earth things are bad, and I want Your will done here just as it is in Heaven". Please shield me from temptation and if I fall rescue me from my enemy”.

This prayer acknowledges there will be trouble. But your faith does not say you won’t have trouble in life. It just extinguishes the arrows your enemy throws at you. No weapon will be stronger than your faith.

When you are praying for someone else, you are to pray that they be filled with God’s knowledge. Only He can help them. However, all too often we only pray that the person feels better, gets what they want, etc. Read the following scripture and sincerely pray that for the other person. Then you are allowing the Holy Spirit to give to them something greater than they even know they need.

“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.” Colossians 1:9-12.

You can do it.

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Luke 11:9-10.