Prayer

“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

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

- Matthew 6:7-13

When you pray, what are you telling God? Are you praising Him, giving thanks, repenting, or asking Him for things?

If I were to honestly break down my prayer life, I’d say that 70% of my prayers are supplication (requests), about 20% are gratitude and praise, and 10% asking for forgiveness.

Breaking it down like that has made me critically reflect on my walk with God and reassess my heart posture. I want to weigh-out those percentages differently. 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18 says to “pray continually and give thanks in everything.” In other words, as much as possible we should be in a mindset of prayer (communicating with God) and within those prayers, focus on gratitude for everything!

Let’s break down each part of Jesus’ model prayer.

It can be broken up into two segments. The first half recognizes God’s character, supremacy, and authority. The second half recognizes our requests.

• The very first phrase: “Our Father.”

Upon talking to God, we approach Him with the confidence of our relationship with Him. We are His children calling upon their Father. Hebrews 4:16 encourages us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” We are able to come boldly to Him because through the sacrifice of Jesus, we are sons and daughters of God. 

• Emphasis on the holiness and the abode of God. 

This is a reminder of who we are talking to and the extent of His power. His abode is in heaven and He is far above every other name. 

• Praying for His kingdom to come. 

As Christians, we are awaiting Christ’s second coming and millennial reign on earth and everlasting reign. We ought to pray for that day when “He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet” (1 Cor. 15:25).

• Recognizing His will and power. 

We ought to pray for His will to be executed on earth. What is to be done, especially regarding His coming kingdom, is already written and accomplished in the heavenly realm. So, our prayer is for earth’s reality to catch up to heaven’s reality. 

• Requesting our needs. 

I think it’s interesting that the prayer is for “daily bread.” It’s a request for the physical needs of a single day. It reminds me of what Jesus says about worrying: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34). 

Is this to say we shouldn’t pray for our future needs or wants? Of course not. Other scriptures talk about praying about everything. Rather, I think the point is to humbly recognize our daily dependence on Jesus. It’s He who provides for our needs.

• Asking for forgiveness and forgiving others.

When we become a believer in Jesus for our salvation, all of our transgressions are cleansed. So, then, why do we need to ask Him for forgiveness? Continual repentance and forgiveness is part of our ongoing relationship with God.

In Mark 11:25, Jesus says, “And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.” We should remain humble, not forgetting that God has forgiven us our great debt. Likewise, to withhold forgiveness from someone is to put a wall within that relationship and a wall in our relationship with God. 

• Deliverance from the enemy and temptation. 

James 1:13-16 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” God will not lead us into temptation, but we are to pray for His protection and guidance from the desires of our flesh that are egged on by the enemy. 

• Acknowledging God’s power again.

The example prayer ends by bringing it back to God’s kingdom, power, and glory. It comes full circle to remind us, once again, who is in charge!

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Obviously, Jesus’ example prayer is not the only way that we can pray, (and it is not meant to be a repetitious prayer done in monotony), rather, it is a lesson in what He desires when we pray. It is a reflection of what our heart posture should look like when we pray to Him. 

When I was reflecting on Jesus’ pattern of prayer, the main part that caught my attention was “Your will be done.” How often do I remember to surrender my wants and needs to God’s will? When I ask Him for things, I often act like the “Gentiles” who repeat themselves over and over, thinking that the more I say it, the more likely God is going to answer it. But, instead, I want to be in a humble position where my wants are laid at His feet and I can trust that God will give me what He knows is best.

I’m not saying that God doesn’t care about our specific longings and desires. What I am saying is that our focus should be on surrendering those to God. Like verse 8 says, He knows what we need and will provide at the right time. Sometimes, as we pray, He transforms our heart’s desires to align more closely with His. I want to practice praying, “Your will be done, not mine” every time. 

Take a Moment:

I’ve listed a 5-day challenge to encourage you to apply the principles from this devotional:

Day 1: Reflect – Assess what your prayer life looks like. Where do you want to make changes? Is your heart in the right place? Are you trusting that God hears your prayers even when it doesn’t feel like it?

Day 2: Read – Do a study of prayer within Scripture. If you go to blueletterbible.org, use the search bar to search “prayer” or “pray.” All the verses containing that word will show up.

Day 3: Pray – Spend time today pouring out more gratitude or praise than you normally do. Or, focus your prayers entirely on the needs of others instead of your own.

Day 4: Listen — Today as you pray, pause and wait in silence. Maybe God is wanting to speak to you but you are always the one talking. Ask Him what He wants to tell you today. Sometimes, He speaks by putting an impression on our hearts or a thought in our minds. For example, I’ve noticed that He’ll put a Bible verse in my mind. If you don’t feel like you’ve received anything, don’t give up. Keep asking Him to speak to you throughout the day.

Day 5: Memorize — Philippians 4:6 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Surrendering to God’s will and praying continually is what it means to live by faith.

-Alina