Pray Like This

I had been loving the Lord for quite some time. I loved reading His Word

and learning all I could about Him. I definitely knew that prayer was simply talking to my Father. So, I did talk to Him all throughout the day. I talked about my children, my husband, my fears, my hopes, and so on. I believe I was right on track with that because God wants open communication with us. However, this year, I began to often think about a phrase I had heard in the Bible many times before. The words were: Pray like this.

This was a section of the Bible I had known about since I was a girl but never really took them to heart. Right before that phrase the Bible tells us that we should not just repeat premade fancy prayers over and over again, so I didn’t want to just repeat a prayer. However, why did Jesus then say: Pray like this? I began to see that He was giving us an example of how to pray. I never really put thought into how I was praying. So with continuing in my constant dialogue with the Lord throughout the day, I also began to almost daily use the outline found in the Bible to direct my prayers. The result is something I can’t put words to. It changed my attitudes, my heart, and I definitely saw answers!

My hope in sharing this is that it might give some direction to someone out there that feels a little awkward or insecure in praying. Some of us were never taught this and we have the desire but just feel a little unsure of ourselves. I hope this is encouraging to those hoping for direction in this area.

Matthew 6 - Pray like this:

Our Father in Heaven, - We refer to God as Father or Daddy! Jesus showed us that when we come to God we come to an intimate relationship between a parent and child. We come to God knowing that He loves us and desires to talk with us.

Holy is Your Name, - This is a lifting up and acknowledging who we are coming into the presence of. We are not just high-fiving a buddy. We are coming before our Father yes, but we are also coming before the Most High God. The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. As we praise Him for who He is to us, His presence fills the room.

Many times I start of this prayer by praising God for who He has been revealing Himself to me as lately. I will take a minute and just praise God for His holiness, His greatness, and His goodness.

Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. – This is where we seek God’s will for our life. This has been a very intimate prayer that I haven’t truly prayed before this year. I pray for God’s will on the earth. I pray for our nation and our nation’s leaders! Then, I pray specifically for God’s will do be done in my life, my husband’s life, and my children’s lives. I do not repeat words – I sincerely pray for God’s will to be done in our lives and I let Him know that we are trusting Him to direct every step we take.

Give us this day our daily bread – God cares about our needs. I pray for a few specific needs for me or my family and friends during this time. It may be financial, it may be for a repair in a relationship, or it may be healing for a friend. I also pray that God will meet our needs so much so that we are overflowing with the ability to give to others freely in their times of need.

The Bible also describes the Word of God as our bread. So, I also pray for God’s Word to be fresh to me today and for God to help me understand and know Him better through His bread of life today.

And forgive us our sins, as we also have forgiven those who sin against us- This is new to me! Yes, after years of walking with the Lord, this was not a normal prayer for me. But it is now! I pray for God to forgive my sins. I do not just repeat words. From a sincere heart, I ask God to forgive me of specific times I have missed the mark. If I can’t think of anything, I have learned to not get cocky. I know I have done things wrong without realizing it, so I pray for forgiveness of wrong attitudes, intentions, or sins I didn’t realize I committed.

Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. – Colossians 3:13

I pray wholeheartedly that the Lord will help me forgive others when they hurt or offend me as generously as He has been in forgiving my sins. If the Lord who is perfect can forgive my imperfections, my flawed self can forgive other humans of their flaws. I used to have a huge problem with holding grudges. This prayer has changed my life this year. I can physically see the Lord answering my prayer over and over again.

Right after this prayer example, Jesus says this-

For if you forgive people their trespasses [their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment], your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

This forgiveness thing is not an option. It is vital now and into eternity, and we need prayer to help see to it that we are walking this out!

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one – The Lord does not tempt us. So we are not praying for that. We are praying for the Lord to help us not be lead into temptation. I pray that the Lord will help me, my husband, and my children not be lead into temptation. I pray that He would thwart evil plans against us, and that those who would desire to trap us with temptation would be ensnared by their own trap. I pray that for me, my husband, and my children, the Lord’s path of righteousness would be delightful to us and that the path of the wicked would be repulsive to us. I pray that He would strengthen all of us with an inner strength to resist temptation (Psalm 138:3).

I pray for protection over myself, my husband, and my children. I let the Lord know that I trust His specific promises of protection for us and I praise Him for His protection over us wherever we go!

A prayer like this only takes a few minutes. I usually pray it when I am driving alone in the car. I love that I found this example in the Bible of how I should pray, and I have loved praying this with my Heavenly Father!

Father God, thank You so much for showing me this prayer in Your Word. I don’t want to just repeat fancy prayers. I want my prayers to be intimately connected from my heart to Yours. Please show me how to have an intimate prayer time with You daily. I thank You for Your Holy Spirit who is my teacher and helps me talk with You. It is always special and an honor for You to hear my prayers.

#prayer