How Should I Pray?

It is not uncommon for Christians to have questions about things that pertain to their Christian walk. This is especially true for new believers but the quest for answers will continue until the Lord calls us home.

When a brother/sister asks a question, provide insight for understanding. Help search for the answer if need be. Don’t be flippant. If it seems necessary to respond with cliches, at least make sure they understand the meaning.

What is Prayer?

Definition -

an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confessions of our sins, and thankful acknowledgement of His mercies.

Definition -

a. Acceptable prayer must be sincere (Heb. 10:22) , offered with reverence and godly fear, with a humble sense of our own insignificance as creatures and of our own unworthiness as sinners, with earnest importunity, and with unhesitating submission to the divine will.

b. Prayer must also be offered in the faith that God is, and is the hearer and answerer of prayer, and that He will fulfill His Word, “Ask, and ye shall receive” (Matt 7:7-8; 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13-14),m and in the name of Christ ( 16:23,24; 15:16; Eph. 2:18; 5:20; Col 3:17; 1 Pet 2:5).

How Should I Pray?

1. Matthew 6:9-13 (NASB, 1995)

Matthew 6:9–13 NASB95

9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’

Jesus said,

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

10 ‘Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.

12 ‘And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

2. Luke 11:2-4 (NASB, 1995)

Luke 11:2–4 NASB95

2 And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. 3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread. 4 ‘And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

And He said to them,

2 “When you pray, say:

‘Father, hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

3 ‘Give us each day our daily bread.

4 ‘And forgive us our sins,

For we ourselves also forgive

everyone who is indebted to us.

And lead us not into temptation.’ ”

One major difference:

Matthew’s version - In the book of Matthew, Jesus was teaching the disciples not to follow the examples of the Pharisees. “Pray, then, in this way” in Matthew - gives the appearance of a particular format - a blueprint for how to pray.

Luke’s version - In the book of Luke, Jesus was returning from praying when the disciples made the request to be taught. “When you pray, say:” - indicates that these words are the prayer and many scholars concede that using Jesus words verbatim is more sufficient that not praying at all although, most scholars consider it an example to be modeled after.

Both versions led to Jesus teaching the “Lord’s Prayer”, and both versions the elements are the same, to include the order in which they are arranged.

Structure Elements:-

9 Our Father, who is in Heaven Hallowed be your name. Recognition of God:

as Father (His role in our lives, personally)

as Lord in Heaven (His role with all creation)

His Holy name (characteristic of praise/Name descriptive of attributes)

See also: Mt 7:21; Mt 16:17; Eph 3:14–15

Matthew 7:21 NASB95

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.

Matthew 16:17 NASB95

17 And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Ephesians 3:14–15 NASB95

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

10 Your Kingdom Come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

Recognition of God’s will (Above man’s will)

Acceptance of God’s will (Everything has purpose/God sees the big picture)

Submission to God’s will (God not obligated to man/Man is obligated to God; man does not require any intricate details of the grand design artist’s masterpiece in order to make his mark on the canvas)

See also: Mt 26:39; Mt 26:42; Ac 21:14; Col 1:9; Heb 10:9

Matthew 26:39 NASB95

39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Matthew 26:42 NASB95

42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

Acts 21:14 NASB95

14 And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!”

Colossians 1:9 NASB95

9 For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Hebrews 10:9 NASB95

9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second.

11 Give us this day our daily bread

By virtue of making supplication, we place our trust in God to supply necessary provisions.

Not necessarily physical provision but physical needs are not excluded.

12 Forgive us our debts As we also have forgiven our debtors

Petition God for forgiveness: As others have been forgiven (do to me as I do to others)

See Also: Mt 6:14–15; Mt 18:23–35; Mk 11:25; Lk 23:34; Col 3:13; 1 Jn 1:9

13 And do not lead us into temptation But, deliver us from evil.

Supplication for God’s divine protection

Man is easily tempted by his own desire - man requires strength from God

When evil launches attacks - the Lord raises a standard against the evil

See also: 2 Co 1:10–11; Jud 24; Re 3:10

Summary:

Prayer vs. Model

Reciting the Lord’s Prayer or referencing the Lord’s prayer as a model is acceptable if:

the prayer is offered in sincerity with reverential fear

the prayer is offered with a humble sense:

of our own insignificance as the creation

of our own unworthiness as sinners

pray with earnest importunity

we submit to His divine will without hesitation

Lord’s Prayer is a model:

God is spirit - worship Him in spirit and truth

God is our Father, we are His children; we are to honor and praise Him; His name is Holy

Totally submit to His Divine will without thought or question (in heaven and on earth)

As our Father - He provides, protects, instructs, corrects, teaches and disciplines His children, whom He loves: (Provisions that are not food). Offer prayer in the faith that He hears and answers prayers and that He will fulfill His Word. “In Him is yes, and Amen.” 2 Corinthians 1:10 Also, when petitioning the Father for “daily bread” (He knows our every need), do not be so quick to give up. It is possible to remain humble and reverential while being persistent. “Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and it will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

When a person accepts Christ as Lord and Savior, God immediately provides enough of the essentials to get started in the new life. Don’t be selfish with it. Love because He first loved us. Freely it was given, freely give it away. Forgive so you will be forgiven. Love your enemy.

Pray for personal protection against the wiles of the devil. Pray the same for family. Pray some more of the same for the neighborhood; for the city; the county; the state; the nation; the world. Pray for deliverance - repeat the previous coverage. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

Conclusion:

Mothers and Fathers have a very special and unique, assignments in the institution of family. Although, the wife is the equal partner, we each have very different roles and there are specific responsibilities for each office, some of which are shared by husband and wife. Since I have never been a mother, I can only speak as a dad. Quick disclaimer: I have always had a bit of an authority complex but it got worse with age. I despise being in authority! However, I never found, with any success how to obey God while neglecting my role as a parent or its corresponding responsibilities.

There was never any enjoyment in disciplining my children (Thank God they were good!). I took no pleasure in telling them, “no”. I cannot express all that I would give up for my children to charge out of the house full of excitement that I came home from work. The pain I feel when they are hurting or sad is overwhelming. I would give it a thought about taking their penalty upon myself if one of them got into serious trouble - any trouble. All of these are true statements but, even by human standards, I was not all the great as a parent but, there every need was met.

One thing that I know to be an incontrovertible truth, God blessed me immensely when he entrusted His children to my care and He done (and continues to do) an amazing job taking care of His children. Just as He has done for me and you and will continue to do til the end of the age. After all God has done for me in my lifetime, including the things He did in the lives of my three daughters (whom I call my sisters, by the way). God appointed me to be a daddy on this earth so I could get an idea of what pleases Him as my Father. I know beyond any reasonable doubt that His greatest joy comes from my faith in Him, my submission to His will, and last but, surely not least, all time we spend together.

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