Submitted by Donnie O’Fallon
I could have no greater joy than to hear
that my children live in the truth. 3 John 1:4
In Jesus's Model Prayer we call The
Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6: 5-13, Jesus is saying to His disciples then
and now, all words and no heart gets us nowhere every time. He wants us to know
that prayer is a privilege that allows us to have direct dialogue with our
Heavenly Father.
Perhaps there is no prayer more
used, abused and mindlessly repeated than this Model Prayer. It's prayed at
opening assemblies by Christians and non-Christians alike. Celebrities use it
in public. I've heard it mumbled in
church services and have wondered, "Do
we really understand what we are promising or asking of God?". In
verses 5, 6,7 and 8 Jesus says three times, "you
shall not." He's calling our
attention to, pray for affect in verse 5, no vain repetition in verse 7, and finally,
in verse 8 He begins to draw our hearts to the sincerity and earnestness of
praying. The Lord’s Prayer is not to be a memorized mantra but a pattern of
praying you can use at all time, in all situations, day after day to connect
and communicate with Him.
When you read this prayer, see
how it breaks down into a series of three parts making it easy to use and
remember:
The Three - Part Address:
Our Stresses community
Father
Stresses relationship
Who is in heaven Stresses
authority
The Three - Part Commitment:
Hollowed be Your name Commitment to
holiness
Your kingdom come
Commitment to participation
Your will be done
Commitment to obedience
The Three - Part Petition:
Daily bread
Trust for physical provision
Forgive us our debts Trust
for cleansing from sin
Deliver us from evil
Trust for power over temptation
The Three - Part Close:
Yours is the kingdom Focus
on His Rule
The Power Focus in His
sufficiency
The Glory Focus on His
presence
When we see and use this
pattern, prayer becomes what Jesus intended it to be and to do. That is for us
to make a conscious and volitional effort to open our hearts and lives to Him
so that He can accomplish His purpose and will in and through us. Read John
15:5!
I pray you see that The Lord's
Prayer works. This kind of praying will change your circumstances and will
change you!
