How to Pray, Part 2

Introduction/tension

Last week, we dove into the topic of prayer by looking at Jesus’ instructions to his disciples on how to pray. Last week, we looked at how Jesus told them the types of prayer to avoid, empty chatter and hypocritical prayer. Today we want to look at the rest of Jesus’ instructions and we will discover his teaching about forgiveness, the folly of sin, and fasting.

A need we all have

And as we discover the help we need from the Lord in these three areas, for that is what prayer is, help from the Lord. We will discover something about our hearts.

Have you ever heard someone say, “follow your heart?” Of course you have. If you’ve ever watched a Disney movie, you’ve heard this. It’s not just from pop culture, though. Even well meaning Christians have given this advice. And they mean well and there’s usually something helpful about that advice. But, I wonder if we have a proper theology about our hearts.

Consider what the prophet Jeremiah indicated about the heart: Jeremiah 17:9

Jeremiah 17:9 CSB

The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it?

Jesus, speaking to the pharisees concerning hearts, said this Matthew 15:19

Matthew 15:19 CSB

For from the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual immoralities, thefts, false testimonies, slander.

Jesus, the Lord of heaven, our new king understood the plight of human beings. He knew from where they had fallen and to where they had gone. It’s why he came, to rescue people from their sins.

David understood his own heart and asked God to put a clean heart in him. Psalm 51:10

Psalm 51:10 CSB

God, create a clean heart for me and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Ezekiel’s prophecy declares that God will remove an old heart and place a new one, describing salvation to come in Christ: Ezek 11:19

Ezekiel 11:19 CSB

I will give them integrity of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh,

See friends, the theology of our heart shows that we need help. Desperately. That’s why the rest of the model prayer from the Lord tells us how to pray for heart matters. So, let’s pray now, asking the Lord to help us hear his word and apply it with joy.

"Lord help us to be humble enough to hear your word and help us to respond to you in joy as we apply your word to our lives.”

What God Says: Biblical Truth

If you’re able, please stand to honor the word of the Lord.

Matthew 6:12–18 CSB

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. “For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses. “Whenever you fast, don’t be gloomy like the hypocrites. For they make their faces unattractive so that their fasting is obvious to people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting isn’t obvious to others but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

We have need of three things in prayer, to help us address heart matters.

1. Clear the Debt (vv. 12, 14–15)

Receive and extend forgiveness

When Jesus tells his disciples how to pray, he first focuses on forgiveness. Forgiveness is a key element to Jesus’ teaching throughout the gospels. It’s a core tenet of Christianity. But i’m not sure we’re yet very good at it. And to some extent, that makes sense. It’s a heart matter. Our hearts seem to enjoy vindication. Our hearts seem prone to un-forgiveness, holding grudges, and all that entails. That’s why Jesus here wants us to clear the debt. The debt we have before the Lord, but conditionally. Notice two small words. “As” and “we.” Jesus is conditonalizing our prayers. Ask for forgiveness to the degree that you’re willing to forgive. Friends, that’s different that what i’m use to. For my own heart but for what I see as well. If we put this prayer in our own words, we might say, forgive me Lord, to the fullest degree but hold them to the wrong they’ve committed against me. If the Lord only forgave you to the extent that you’ve forgiven that person you just can seem to let go of, where would you be?

So, in reality, we need the Lord’s forgiveness, but we also need his help to forgive others. Jesu knew our hearts needed this type of prayer. He knew our hearts are prone to take hold of how we’ve been wronged and never let go. Let’s do the hard work of forgiving others, with the Lord’s help. Who do you need to go to and ask forgiveness from today? Can I make a bold statement that is backed up by scripture?

You will go no deeper in your relationship than you are willing to let go of whatever someone else did to you. I don’t mean they get a pass. But that’s in the Lord’s hands. I don’t mean that there shouldn’t be justice and that that person shouldn’t be held accountable. But that’s the Lord’s work. Ask God to help you forgive. Then receive his forgiveness to the same degree.

2. Guard Your Steps (v. 13)

Flee from temptation

Another aspect of our hearts that the Lord knew would need constant prayer is our propensity to give into temptation. Our hearts are prone to wander. We are prone to fall into the traps of the enemy. So that’s why we ask the Lord, “don’t let temptation be anywhere near me. Keep me form any temptation, Lord. And deliver me from the tempter, Satan.

James tells us to resist the Devil so he will flee. James 4:7

James 4:7 CSB

Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James knew the devil’s temptation. The James who wrote this almost missed Jesus and he was one of the closest people to him. The writer of the book of James is Jesus’ half brother James and the gospels tell us several times that James and his siblings didn’t believe in Jesus. But something switched for James after the death and resurrection of his brother. He moved from calling him bro, to calling him Lord. So, when James says resist the devil, and submit to God, he’s probably got a lot in his mind about how the devil almost got him.

Sin isn’t something to play with. The devil isn’t a silly myth. He’s not all powerful but he’s more powerful than you think. However, when we give our hearts over to a new king of a better kingdom through Christ, the old devil just tucks his tail and runs.

Oh Lord, thank you for such a powerful prayer. Deliver me from satan’s hold.

3. Deepen Your Devotion (vv. 16–18)

Fast sincerely and secretly

Lastly, we deepen our devotion. We go deeper. A tremendous way to do that is something we don’t talk much about. We fast.

Fasting is training your heart to want God more than anything else, even food.

A fast is something done periodically. There are several types of fasting and several things from which you can fast. Most of the time it’s food. The goal is always the same, remove something from your life for a period of time so that you can focus on your relationship with the Lord. This is a hear thing too. The Lord knew our hearts would easily get distracted with other things. He has a built in way for us to reset.

It’s like a tune up on a car. We get to a point where we have to stop everything and look under the hood and tune up a few things so we can be better in the long run. Our hearts need a tune up from time to time and a fast is a great way to do it.

Now, just like every day prayer, every moment prayer, a fast is meant to be done secretly. We have a private audience with our king and he wants extended time with us. Fasting gives us that prolonged, distraction free connection to knowing him and being known by him.

And he wants you to run to him. Won’t you do it today?

Run to Jesus

Run to the presence of the king today!

Come to him today. Here’s how you do that:

Jesus I’m a sinner. Desperate without you.

I believe in you. Forgive me of my sins.

Help me to depend on you daily and walk with you all the days of my life.

In Jesus name, amen.

Closing

He’s inviting you to come to him today.

Matthew 11:28–30 CSB

“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Romans 10:9–10 CSB

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.

Romans 10:13 CSB

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.