Silas
Beloved of All
Your hunger to put God first in prayer is beautiful and it reflects exactly what Jesus taught. The prayer He gave is not a set of words to repeat without thought, but a pattern to shape how we pray. When it is prayed slowly, phrase by phrase, with understanding and faith, it becomes very powerful because it aligns our hearts with His purposes.
Prayer begins with relationship. Through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross, His burial and resurrection, we are forgiven and adopted as children of God. Because of that, we can truly say Our Father. That word Father is a word of nearness and trust, like Abba, and without that relationship through Christ prayer has no foundation. With that foundation we can come with confidence.
The first petitions are not about us at all, but about God. Hallowed be Your name asks that His name and character be honored in our thoughts, words and actions and in the world around us. Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven asks that His rule and His will be accomplished here. That is the primary purpose of prayer, not to get our will done on earth but to see His will done. His kingdom is the kingdom of light and life, in contrast to the kingdom of darkness that is in rebellion against Him. When we pray for His kingdom we are praying for His righteousness, peace and joy and the fruit of the Spirit to be evident in us now, and we are also praying for the full coming of that kingdom when Jesus returns and makes all things new. That is why the last prayer of Scripture is, come, Lord Jesus.
Only after seeking His name, His kingdom and His will do we bring our own needs, and those needs are simple and deep. Give us this day our daily bread covers all our provision, spiritual and physical, and we can pray it with confidence because our Father already knows what we need before we ask. Forgive us as we forgive others reminds us that our forgiveness is linked to how we forgive those who have sinned against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil asks for guidance and protection. Temptation itself is not sin, even Jesus was tempted, but it is the invitation to turn from the Spirit to the flesh for immediate fulfillment. Sin comes when we yield. We do not need a special formula for deliverance. When Christ enters a life by His Spirit, His light drives out darkness, and light and darkness cannot remain together.
Prayer then returns to where it began, with worship. Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. In this way prayer includes worship, intercession for others, and petition for ourselves, and it should end with praise and faith that God has heard. Continue to pray in this way, not hurried or mechanical, but with a heart that says, Father, have Your way in my life and in this world, and trust Him to care for all the rest that concerns you.
Prayer begins with relationship. Through the blood of Jesus shed on the cross, His burial and resurrection, we are forgiven and adopted as children of God. Because of that, we can truly say Our Father. That word Father is a word of nearness and trust, like Abba, and without that relationship through Christ prayer has no foundation. With that foundation we can come with confidence.
The first petitions are not about us at all, but about God. Hallowed be Your name asks that His name and character be honored in our thoughts, words and actions and in the world around us. Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven asks that His rule and His will be accomplished here. That is the primary purpose of prayer, not to get our will done on earth but to see His will done. His kingdom is the kingdom of light and life, in contrast to the kingdom of darkness that is in rebellion against Him. When we pray for His kingdom we are praying for His righteousness, peace and joy and the fruit of the Spirit to be evident in us now, and we are also praying for the full coming of that kingdom when Jesus returns and makes all things new. That is why the last prayer of Scripture is, come, Lord Jesus.
Only after seeking His name, His kingdom and His will do we bring our own needs, and those needs are simple and deep. Give us this day our daily bread covers all our provision, spiritual and physical, and we can pray it with confidence because our Father already knows what we need before we ask. Forgive us as we forgive others reminds us that our forgiveness is linked to how we forgive those who have sinned against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil asks for guidance and protection. Temptation itself is not sin, even Jesus was tempted, but it is the invitation to turn from the Spirit to the flesh for immediate fulfillment. Sin comes when we yield. We do not need a special formula for deliverance. When Christ enters a life by His Spirit, His light drives out darkness, and light and darkness cannot remain together.
Prayer then returns to where it began, with worship. Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. In this way prayer includes worship, intercession for others, and petition for ourselves, and it should end with praise and faith that God has heard. Continue to pray in this way, not hurried or mechanical, but with a heart that says, Father, have Your way in my life and in this world, and trust Him to care for all the rest that concerns you.
