How Should We Pray?

Several years ago, a pastor friend confided in me. He did not know how to pray.

He hated to admit it, but he could not sustain prayers longer than a few seconds. Sustained prayer was for him as foreign as Durian candy in a Michelin five star restaurant. It just wasn’t happening.

My friend wanted help, but who could he ask? How would he not be condemned by others for simply asking the question? Thankfully, he trusted me enough to ask for help. And he was not condemned. Hopefully, he was helped.

Now I am hoping you might be helped, too. If a pastor made it into ministry without understanding how to pray, then (it’s at least possible that) other Christians might need help. Others may also be afraid to ask for instructions. After all, what Christian wants to admit that he doesn’t know how to pray?

If you are one who wishes you could pray more confidently, then you’re in pretty good company! According to Luke 11:1, Jesus’s followers asked him to teach them how to pray. In the longer account in Matthew 6, the Lord’s Prayer is an introductory model for daily Christian prayer. If you’re struggling with your prayer life, consider following the Lord’s Prayer as a model.

Here it is from Matthew 6:9-13,

…“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 also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.

NOTE THE 7 MOVEMENTS OF THE LORD’S PRAYER

1. Identity — Our Father

Begin your daily prayer with a reminder that you are a child of God. You know the living God as your Heavenly Father. Notice that the prayer begins with “Our” Father. Not only does the believer begin with his or her identity as a child of God, but the children of God also recognize their identity as belonging to one another. The Lord’s Prayer is for the church! Enter prayer as part of the family of God.

2. Eternity — The One Who Is in Heaven

Jesus next instructs His family of followers on earth to remember Heaven. There is distance between God’s children and God, distance between earth and Heaven. And yet, there is a direct line of communication available from one realm to the other. Because our identity belongs to God, our earthly location is no hindrance to a heavenly audience with Him. And because He is God in Heaven, He has resources beyond earth and time to bring to bear for the good of His children.

3. Holiness — Holy God

Third, confess the Holiness of God. He alone is the supreme one. This confession serves both as a confession of God’s greatness and a reminder of our own limits. You and I are not the central figures of the universe, and God knows that. This portion of the prayer helps each of us orient ourselves to God as the center. Our part is to serve Him. His part is not to serve us (though He freely and graciously does). Keeping God central is key to faithful praying.

4. Kingdom — Heaven and Earth

Naturally, the fourth part flows directly from God’s holiness. His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Here is a rich and fertile field for cultivating prayer concerns. Think of all the ways the earth is out of sorts—the evil, the injustice, the lack of love for others. Pray for earth to meet heaven and for Christ to bring the new Jerusalem to earth. Pray that a uniting of God’s peace and order would prevail upon the earth. At Christ’s return, a new heavens and a new earth will unite God with his people, and all will be right.

5. Provision — Daily Bread

As God is accomplishing this cosmic mission on earth, the fifth part of prayer comes into play. Prayer begs that God would accomplish the simple small favor of feeding us as he does the beasts, the birds, and the creatures of the sea. Our plea is sustenance, not superabundance. Our prayer has already been for God’s will to be done—not ours. We ask him to remember our needs as he also supplies his own.

The prayer for daily bread is humbling when we already have a superabundance. Yet some Christians around the world are in prison for their faith. Others are suffering terribly on account of Christ. Maybe remember to pray here for persecuted and suffering members of the Christian family to receive daily bread. See www.prisoneralert.com

6. Forgiveness — Receiving / Offering

Noting the significance of God’s kingdom mission throughout, we must pray to do our part in the redemption process. Redemption offers us forgiveness of sins. Confess and seek forgiveness for every sin that comes to mind. Trusting that you receive forgiveness from God, pray for grace so you can offer forgiveness gladly and freely to others. Whom do you need to forgive today? Tell your Father you forgive those people today. Tell those people also if you are able.

7. Sanctification — Redemption/ Deliverance

Finally, as the Father continues to work His will on earth as it is in Heaven, you continue praying for your own will to be in tune with His. Pray for His leading. Pray against all your temptations. Pray for deliverance both from temptations and from sin (yours and others). Pray for others in danger of sin. Pray against their temptations. Pray for their deliverance, too. Sanctification follows such praying.

May the Lord encourage you to pray confidently each day.

(Feel free to share other methods of praying daily)