"Lord teach us to pray," Luke 11:1
Who taught you to pray? Is it something you just do on your own? That's fine, there is no right or wrong way to pray, God just wants to hear from you!
This week our church will have an old fashioned Revival! A revival is a very special week that we dedicate our lives to God and hopefully become stronger and walk closer with God. We also pray for our neighbors and hopefully bring them to the revival to learn more about God's love too! Last week we prayed every day for revival in our church. We have had prayer walks, prayer meetings, prayer chains, and so much more. I was asked by someone how I know how to pray, and I had to go back to my childhood. It started there and has continued to grow with me as my walk with Jesus has grown over the years.
When I was in fifth grade, I had the most wonderful Sunday School teacher. She had us memorize scriptures to earn prizes. You had to memorize the scriptures in the order that she deemed most important, at least that was what my fifth grade mind told me. The prizes were all useful Bible related items, and we all worked so hard to earn them. The Bible bookmarks were my favorite!
The first Bible verses that we had to memorize were the Lord's Prayer. It can be found in Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4. This was the perfect place to start. So many kids had the question, how should I pray. In the preschool years, we encourage the children to pray "thank you" prayers. This helps the children know that they should be thankful for the many gifts that God has given them. We also encourage them to pray for help. Help for a sick loved one, help for a friend at school, help with someone they don't get along with. This forms the base for how we learned to pray. By fifth grade, most children are ready for more. Prayer is more than just asking and thanking God.
There are two versions of The Lord's Prayer in the Bible. One is found in Matthew 6. Jesus teaches the crowd during the Sermon on the Mount how to pray. We aren't supposed to make a huge spectacle when praying. Don't pray on and on and on just to hear yourself talk. Jesus tells us that it's better to go into a closet and pray privately.
The second version is found in Luke 11. In Luke, Jesus was praying and when he stopped, one of his disciples said, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
And Jesus anwered them,
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. They will be done, on earth as it is in heaven, Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts; as we fogive out debtors. Lead us not into tepmtation; but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen. Luke 11:1-4
What is an easy way to decipher that? Start at the beginning and read it line by line. "Our Father, who art in heaven," that's easy, this is not your earthly father, this is the father that watches over the entire world. You are talking directly to God! The second line says "hallowed be thy name." Hallowed means holy or sacred. God's name is sacred and holy. This is why the Ten Commandments tell us not to take God's name in vain. His name is holy. The third line, "they kingdom come, thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven," tells of our desire to do God's will on earth as it is done in heaven. Wouldn't earth be a much more peaceful place if everyone did God's will all of the time? "Give us this day, our daily bread." God doesn't want anyone to go hungry. Remember the manna from heaven he gave his people while they wandered in the wilderness? Pray for your needs, God is listening. "And forgive our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Ask God to forgive you wrongdoings, no matter what they are, but at the same time, you need to forgive people that have wronged you in life. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." This is such a huge request! Temptation is around every corner, it's so easy to fall into. Ask God to keep you away from whatever bad thing is tempting you! Ask and obey him! In today's world, it is so easy to get trapped in an evil situation. Pray about your concerns, God is listening. "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen". No matter what, God is in control. He was in control yesterday, and he will be in control tomorrow. His glory, his splendor, will last forever! Amen means "so be it, that is all I have to say right now.
The Lord's Prayer is the basis of our prayers. We can build off of that. God wants us to pray continuously. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Pray directly to Him whenever you want or need to. You don't have to wait for a rainy day to pray. God wants you to pray when you are happy and joyful. He wants you to sing His praises! He also wants us to pray when we need help or reassurance. He want us to thank him for the many blessings he has given us and he wants us to pray when we feel like our heart is breaking. "God hears us when we pray." Proverbs 15:29. Isn't is such a blessing to know that God hears you no matter what?!
I encourage you to memorize The Lord's Prayer. I found these beautiful Bible verse bookmarks on Etsy. The shop's name is Turn On The Bloom. I bought one for each of my family members for their Bibles. You can write out your own copy of The Lord's Prayer and put it on your refrigerator. I encourage you to spend the next few weeks thinking about these very important words. Words that will guide us through our very important prayer lives! May God revive us again!
No comments:
Post a Comment