An Outline for Prayer
More than merely setting a pattern, the model prayer in Matthew 6
includes all we need to know about what our prayers should contain
by Kaye Johns
From childhood, most of us have known the words of "The Lord’s Prayer" -- the model prayer of Jesus in Matthew 6:9-13, spoken for the benefit of His disciples as they began their life of fellowship with Him.
We know the words, but do we fully grasp the meaning behind the words? Have we asked Him to make absolutely clear just why this pattern, this model, says so much about our own life of prayer?
Dr. Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, is a minister devoted to bringing clarity to the truths of God so those truths can be assimilated into daily life. The following points are from a message delivered by Dr. Graham to the men attending Prestonwood’s Friday morning men’s Bible study:
1. The Person: Our Father...
The first words of the prayer establish the relationship in which the prayer can be meaningful. Our Father... He is Father to all of us who accept His love and grace and salvation. Our Father... He is more than a distant deity; He is the One Who has given us life, Who has given us the right to become His children (John 1:12). This is a relationship of love, of His acceptance of us and of our obedience to His authority.
2. The Purpose: Your kingdom come; Your will be done...
The purpose of prayer is not to get my will done in heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth. To bring the reality of His kingdom to my life, and to the lives of those I may meet.
3. The Provision: Give us our daily bread...
We are not to pray for selfish reasons, but we are to pray for personal needs. In the most basic areas of life, we are dependent upon God for our sustenance. He wants us to ask for His provision, and He delights in providing what we need.
4. The Pardon: Forgive us as we forgive...
Sin, rebellion and disobedience short-circuit our prayers. We are to be examples of godly relationships with others. He is a forgiving God, and we are to demonstrate His attributes in our daily lives. As we forgive others, He will forgive us. If we do not, He will not.
5. The Protection: Lead us not into temptation...
A better way of translating this truth: Don’t allow us to be led into temptation. Satan needed God’s permission to test Job, and to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31); he must have God’s permission to test us as well. We should ask God to deny the permission, and to empower us to live the life that justifies His response.
6. The Praise: Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever...
The power in our prayer lies in our praise -- in recognizing and exalting the One to Whom we pray. As we lift Him up in our prayer, acknowledging that He is the One -- the only one -- with authority, power, and majesty, we prepare ourselves to receive from Him the proper response to our prayer, whatever its nature may be.
Prayer
Quotes on Prayer
We believe that prayer changes things. Prayer begins where human capacity ends. Please send us your prayer request for yourself or for other people. We all need prayer as it is our power for living. E-mail us your prayer request below. God Bless you!
"We can do nothing without prayer. All things can be done by importunate prayer. It surmounts or removes all obstacles, overcomes every resisting force and gains its ends in the face of invincible hindrances...Prayer is of transcendent importance. Prayer is the mightiest agent to advance God's work. Praying hearts and hands only can do God's work. Prayer succeeds when all else fails"".- E. M. Bounds
"The influence of prayer on the human mind and body ... can be measured in terms of increased physical buoyancy, greater intellectual vigor, moral stamina, and a deeper understanding of the realities underlying human relationships"- Dr. Alexis Carrel.
