Lord, teach us to pray (Part 2)

In my previous post, we started to look at Jesus’ answer to his disciples' request that He teach them to pray. In that post we noted that they didn’t ask him to teach them "how" to pray, but rather asked to be taught “to” pray. In response to their request, Jesus gave them a model prayer very similar to the prayer he prayed during the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-13) which we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. 

 

In Teach us to pray (part 1), we looked at the meaning of Luke 11:2, “And He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.” We delved into the importance of relationship with God in prayer as our Father in heaven, and includes communion with and worship of God through Jesus. The last thing we looked at involved a view of God's will here on earth. Today’s post considers the rest of his answer found in verses 3-4 which looks at personal petitions in prayer.

"Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation" (Luke 11:3-4).

 

Petitioning God for personal needs

Jesus' prayer model started with the communion of relationship with our Father in heaven and submitting to his will, and today's verses move on to praying for personal needs. I’ve heard some people say it’s wrong to ask God for things we need, but this prayer Jesus offered says differently.

 “Give us each day our daily bread,” is a personal need. Daily bread is a personal need. It is a day-by-day thing trusting Him for what we need. It goes hand in hand with His sermon on the mount where Jesus told us not to be concerned about what to eat or drink but rather seek first His kingdom and His will. This stands in stark contrast to the teaching of some today who encourage praying for all the things we want in this life now. To name and claim what we want. Our first desire should be to be rich spiritually. This comes through relationship with God as we walk in Him.

“Forgive us our sins.” This is a personal spiritual need. If we want to be in fellowship with a holy God we must continually be cleansed from our sin. Here's the part that confusing some people. We are to ask for forgiveness in the same way in which we forgive everyone who sins against us.

Why is it worded this way? Think of it this way. Unforgiveness is sin. This prayer model emphasizes the importance of forgiving in both directions--for ourselves from God and for others from ourselves. It’s a hard lesson. Even Peter asked how often he had to forgive someone. Jesus' answer is found in Matthew 18:21-35. The bottom line is that we are to have a forgiving spirit because unforgiveness has no part with the spirit of Christ. So as we ask God for forgiveness, we must be willing to do the same for those around us. If you have difficulty with this, talk about it with your heavenly Father. Though Him all things are possible.

Confessing our sins to God brings cleansing and forgiveness but  sometimes we get discouraged because we continue to repeat the same sin over and over. Growing in Christ is a process. Remember that Jesus died for all your sins and when you pray to the Father in the name of Jesus you are covered in His righteousness. Our prayers are “accepted in the Beloved.” Remember, Christ is interceding for us (Heb. 7:25) and is working to change you through the power of the Holy Spirit. Keep seeking his will and remember that God knows your heart.

Lead us not into temptation

James tells us that God does not temp man with evil (James 1:13-15). "Lead us not into temptation" is a prayer asking to be delivered from the schemes of the evil one. It is asking that God lead us away from the things that do tempt us. And of course, our part is to not willfully places ourselves in such situations.

 

Call on the Father in prayer

When we consider our sinfulness and God’s holiness, we might feel that God doesn’t want to hear from us because of our failures or that He is tired of hearing us confess the same sins or making the same requests over and over again. Let me tell you, that this "feeling" is not from God. The good news is that when believers call on the Father in prayer, we do so in the precious name of Jesus and we are covered in His righteousness. The Father delights to answer anyone who calls on Him in the name of His Son. Our prayers are “accepted in the Beloved” and are heard just as clearly as the prayers spoken by the interceding Christ (Heb. 7:25).

Call upon the name of the Lord in faith

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Read The Inheritance by Donna Sundblad

The Inheritance, written by Donna Sundblad, is a Christian allegory written along the lines of traditional allegories such as the Pilgrim’s Progress or Hinds’ Feet On High Places.

However, there is little similarity between these rather staid tomes and the action-packed pages of Sundblad’s novel.

While it may sound trite and time-worn to say that “I couldn’t put it down,” the reality is that I had to make myself stop reading it long enough to do mundane tasks like eat, sleep and care for my family.

I could not wait to find out what kind of trouble Jejune would get into next and what would happen to him. ~ Christian Education Plus

When you read it, be sure to leave a review! Thanks for your support.