The Model Prayer

How are we supposed to pray?

This is a very contested topic, and honestly it can be challenging if you’re a new believer, because you may fell like you don’t know where to start or that you run out of things too quickly.

When it comes to prayer the best thing we can do is look to examples from the Bible and let them guide us.

Here is Matthew 6 we see Jesus instructing His disciples how to pray.

In what has become know as the Lords prayer we see 7 total requests, lets break each down.

Matt 6:9-15

The first three requests are focused on God

Our Father in Heaven- we see first an acknowledgement of God

Hallowed be your name- This is a request to God to see Himself be glorified in our lives.

This to often is missed in our prayer lives, but any one who truly loves God will long to see God glorified in all there actions.

Your Kingdom come- refers to the advance of the gospel and the return of Christ

Your will be done- Not talking about God’s ultimate will coming to completion, but that instead we will be obedient to Gods command

We now move into the requests centered on us.

Give us this day our daily bread- God provide me with what I need today. This develops a dependency on God within us.

Forgive us our debts- not so that we don’t go to Hell, but for us to be restored to right communion with God.

Lead us not into temptation- God protect me because I am weak. I can be pulled so easily into bad situations, God please guard me from these.

Deliver us from evil- Evil of the world, evil from within ourselves, and the evil one.

Prayer Practice:

Spend some time in prayer by yourself

Pray for God to be glorified in your life

Pray for people to come to know Jesus

Pray that you will be obedient to God’s commands

Pray for God to provide what you need

Pray for God to forgive you

Pray for God to protect you from your temptations and other evil