Prayer is much more than a bringing of our petitions to (before) God. It is a conversation with Him. As in every conversation both (all) parties speak their thoughts and listen to the others. In prayer, we speak to God, He listens and then answers. We of course don’t hear Him audibly but His Spirit speaks with and into our spirit. So, as we pray we should listen, even as we are praying and He will speak to us.
As we formulate our prayers we should keep in mind that God knows our needs before we speak of them. We should remind ourselves, that in all things He is working for our good. But we must also understand that our good may be contrary to what we want. God knows what is best and will many times over-ride giving us what we want. We are always to pray with a right attitude and motivation. When we approach God with the right motivation and attitude our thoughts should begin to change and we should begin to consider what He desires of us not what we want of Him. We should find ourselves wanting to glorify Him not please ourselves.
Jesus gave His disciples the following structure for such praying; “5And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, Amen’” (Matthew 6:5-13).
7And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
Praying from a prayer card or something that is repetitious does not really bare your (my) heart. God knows what you need before you ask but wants to hear it from you. A prayer card is not personal.
9In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. God wants you (me) to recognize Him for who He is.
10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
God wants you (me) to ask that His kingdom be established on earth and that His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. When prayed sincerely it shows your (my) desire to fit into that will.
11 Give us this day our daily bread. This request acknowledges our dependency on His provision, physical and spiritual.
12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. This has to do with daily living. You are (I am) to ask that He forgive us of our sin so we may have fellowship with Him. We cannot expect God to forgive us if we are unwilling to forgive those who have wronged us.
13a And do not lead us into temptation. God will test us at times but the purpose of the testing is to bring us to an alertness of our own inability to overcome what-ever the test may be.
13b But deliver us from the evil one. This should be our heart’s cry that God keep you from evil.
13c For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. We are to acknowledge that it is His kingdom after all and He is do all honor and glory from us.
May we learn to approach God from our heart, in sincerity, not our intellect!
stevelampman@comcast.net stevelampman.com