The book of Luke, chapter 11 verse1, tells us that one day when Jesus had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him ‘Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.’ Jesus proceeded to give them a protocol for approaching God in prayer.
‘Our Father which art in heaven.’ You have to put the correct address on the envelope if you want it to reach the right destination. We are not praying to a vague, ‘higher power.’ We approach God on the basis of who he is, ‘Our Father’.
‘Hallowed be your name.’ Praise is the pathway to God’s presence, so we must approach him with thanksgiving (Psalm 100:4).
‘Your kingdom come.’ Those words mean, establish your rule in every area of our lives. Be Lord over every area, my job, finances, relationships, family, every single area!
‘Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.’ Know that you have a God-given authority to refuse to permit in your life what God has not approved in heaven. Use that authority to restrict the devi’s influence in your life.
‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ God has provision for whatever you are facing or need today, so ask for it with confidence!
‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’ God’s forgiveness of us must be our own template for forgiving others. With God’s help, we must extend mercy to those who do not deserve it.
‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ We cannot prevent temptation and testing from coming into our lives, but we can confess our faith and our belief that God can help us when we are being tested, so our flesh and sin cannot get the better of us.
May God continue to preserve us as we apply His template for prayer to our lives. Stay blessed.
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