Growing in Prayer with the Lord's Prayer

As disciples of Jesus, we enjoy a very close relationship with the Father. We can come anytime and anywhere to call on His name. We can pour out our whole hearts in prayer and know that the Father cares about every single thing we bring before Him.

Yet there are times when we grow weary of our prayers. Perhaps we often find ourselves praying about the same things over and over. Or we often catch our minds wandering far away while we pray.

Perhaps Jesus' disciples felt the same restlessness when they asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1). Perhaps they were tired of repeating the same prayers from the Law. Jesus responded to their request with what we know as The Lord’s Prayer.

Although Jesus arranged every word so beautifully, this prayer is not meant to be spoken only in its original wording. This is not a ritual prayer. As we study the Lord's Prayer, we will see a pattern that can transform our prayer life in an extraordinary way. Let us begin by examining each part of it...

Our Father...

Jesus radically changed the way we address God and the kind of relationship we have with Him. We are no longer servants, but His sons and daughters! (Galatians 4:7). From this we know that God delights in us. We are His treasured possession. When we fully realize how special this relationship is, we will become even more grateful to Him.

As we pray this part, we can express our gratitude for our relationship with the Father.

Who is in heaven...

Yes, He is in heaven in all His glory. In prayer, leave behind all the earthly things crowding your mind and fix your attention on heaven. As we remember heaven, praise God for His boundlessness. Praise Him, the Owner of the universe, both the temporal and the eternal!

Hallowed be Your Name...

Prayer is not only for asking God for something. Prayer is an expression of our worship and honor to Him. We acknowledge, honor, and proclaim His holiness. This should make us realize that we too must come before Him in holiness.

In this part, we can express our reverence to the Father.

Your Kingdom come...

At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus said that the Kingdom of Heaven was near. We then see the presence of God's kingdom in the lives of Jesus' disciples. Yet there are still many people who have not experienced the presence of His Kingdom!

This is the time for us to pray for the salvation of those we love. Pray also for the leaders of the congregation and that God would open doors for us to share our faith.

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven...

God wants us to surrender to His will in prayer, but often we pray for the opposite! We ask God to grant what we want. The Lord's Prayer helps set our priorities straight.

We can imitate David's attitude of heart, asking God to search his heart and show him what was wrong (Psalm 139:23-24). Or, like Jesus, perhaps we need to pray all night until we are certain that we must do God's will, no matter how difficult it may be (Matthew 26:36-44).

Think about the things you are wrestling with. Pray that God will strengthen us to do what is right in His sight.

Give us this day our daily bread...

This is the time for us to pray specifically for our needs. Nothing is too big or too small for God. He cares about every little detail in our lives.

Perhaps many of us worry about finances, busyness, health, or our work and studies. Bring all of that before God. Jesus said that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

And forgive us our trespasses, as we also forgive those who trespass against us...

When we do not confess our sins, our hearts will grow hard and we will become bolder in sinning. In every prayer, we must examine our own hearts and always confess our sins.

Lay our hearts bare before God. If we need to apologize to someone, do it at once. If we need help overcoming sin, be open with your discipling partner or your leader.

This is also the time to examine our hearts and see whether there is anyone we must forgive. Forgive as we want God to forgive us.

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

Jesus gave the best example when He wrestled in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-43). He challenged His disciples to stay awake and pray as well, but His disciples could not do it. We can see the result of His prayer when He went to the cross in victory. We can also see the failure of His disciples when they faced their first great temptation.

What is your weakness? What sins keep chasing after you? Where does the devil aim his weapons? We must ask for God's strength even before the devil launches his attack against us. Pray specifically!

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

As we close our time with God, we must return our focus to Him. Praise and glorify Him once again. Always remember that He is the one who has His Kingdom and all power and glory.

As we can see, prayer is the tangible expression of our relationship with God. Prayer is the fuel of our spiritual life and a powerful weapon for facing the devil. Prayer is also a refreshing oasis that gives us relief.

We must always look for new ways to deepen our prayer life. Do not be satisfied with an ordinary prayer life, and experience how God's power works through prayer.

*Church GKDI is currently present in 35 cities. We have Bible Study activities in every area; if you need information or would like to get involved, contact us at contact Church GKDI Official: WhatsApp 0821 2285 8686 or Facebook / Instagram GKDI Official

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