Tuesday, January 17, 2017

The Lord's Prayer

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!

Devotional Archive