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How do I pray (like Jesus taught)?
Learning to Pray by understanding the Lord’s Prayer
The Prayer to Emulate
The disciples want to learn to pray, so Jesus teaches them a pattern. It’s a prayer most certainly intended to be a pattern to emulate, not a strict set of words to repeat.
“Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day 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 evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
Matthew 6:9-14 (ESV)
Braking it down: how to P.R.A.Y. – a model to follow
- P – Praise
“Father…hollowed be your name. Your kingdom come…
“Father” – this is a stunning change for how the Jewish people were told to
approach the God of the universe. Not just Lord, or Master...but “Our Father”
which describes an intimacy in prayer that was unparalleled in Old Testament days.
“Holy” – Yes, we enjoy the intimacy of a Father, but also reverence of His name.
“Your kingdom come...your will” – In other words: “Father, what do you want?”
When we begin to pray, we align our hearts with who God is and what God has done. We remember who we're talking to.
- R – Request
“Give us this day our daily bread...”
Having remembered who God is (Father), where God is at (heaven), and what God is like (holy), we are invited to bring Him our concerns. The idea is that we come to the Father in total dependence for our needs.
*My Daily “Bread” Representative of...
- Things we need.
- Resources we lack.
- Concerns we have.
- Burdens we carry.
The idea is that we come to the Father in total dependence for our needs
- Are you worried? We Pray.
- Are you weary? We Pray.
- Are you weak? We Pray
- Are you wounded? We Pray.
- Are you wandering...or wondering? We Pray.
- A – Atone
“forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
As we present needs to Him, it is imperative our hearts are right with Him.
There are things which block the flow of intimacy with the Father, chief of which are transgressions against Him, and irritations with others. This prayer “forgive us” is a daily necessity to maintain intimacy with the Father and deal with the gunk that builds up during the course of a day
- Y – Yield
“…lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”
It’s a prayer of surrender to God’s purposes and plans, to which Matthew adds: ‘deliver us from evil.”
It’s a great prayer to begin each day, knowing we are bound to face temptation and we will need God’s help to subdue the desires of the “old Adam.”
This prayer effectively says: “Lord, temptation is coming my way today and I ask with full surrender: Give me strength to stand firm.”
Start Praying
Develop a daily rhythm of P.R.A.Y. to remove blockages and restore intimacy. Are you new to prayer? Learn to put this into practice to each day to remove blockages. Are you a seasoned vet? Be intentional each day to restore intimacy.
Key: When saying the Lord’s Prayer, be very careful to recite it meaningfully, not just repeat it mindlessly.
