LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY

Sis. Tina Phillips, The Church Triumphant of Columbus

KEY VERSE ~ LUKE 11:1

“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” (KJV)

FOCUS ~ One of the greatest examples of a model prayer is what some have called the Lord’s prayer. We can find this prayer in Holy writ, which is the Word of God.

To PRAY is to make a request in a humble manner; to address God with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving.

Why is prayer so important? Whom am I praying to? At some point in of our lives we all, perhaps, have struggled with questions of this nature. We were not born knowing how to pray. There are many books claiming to teach us about prayer, but for this lesson, we will use the Holy Bible.

Matthew 6:9-13

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” (KJVR)

First, the Lord has us acknowledge that we are praying to God, our Father who is in heaven. We are to reverence His name. When we exalt, honor, sanctify, praise and glorify the Name of the Lord, angels come to attention. (Psalms 103:20; 1 Chronicles 16:29; Psalms 29:2)

It is very clear to see that we are to reverence the name of the Lord.

The Lord teaches us to pray for His Kingdom to come. When we pray “thy kingdom come,” we are acknowledging whose side we are on and angels mark those who are on the Lord’s side and will deliver them. (Ephesians 1:13)

It is important to note that we need to pray for the Lord’s Kingdom to come.

Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

When we truly pray for God’s will to be done according to His word and will, then the angels get involved because they are committed to do God’s commands. Psalms 103:20-21 says, “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.” Notice that Psalms 103:20-22 brings heavenly allies who will perform His will. “Bless the LORD, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the LORD, O my soul.” (KJV)

We should pray for our daily bread.

“Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.” (Exodus 16:4 KJV)

Ask for forgiveness as we ask forgive others (Daniel 9:19-20, Matthew 6:14-15)

We must forgive and be forgiven This is important to our salvation.

Lead us not into temptation, but to be delivered from evil.

This also is a part of the Lord’s prayer. He will do this, providing we are willing to be lead by the Spirit.

A declaration of triumph – ”For thine is the is the Kingdom and the power and the Glory forever – Amen.” When we pray, we should always end on a note of praise and thanksgiving.

A STORY OF THE POWER OF PRAYER

One of my younger brothers was outside playing when he tripped and fell, with his hand landing on a rusty nail. He immediately came running into the house crying. Soon blood poisoning began to set in, with red lines traveling up his arm and coming close to his shoulder. My grandmother and mother began to pray, as there was no time to wait for an ambulance to rush him to the hospital. I watched as my grandmother laid her hands on my brother and began to call on the name of Jesus for healing. The red line of blood poisoning immediately began to fade and go down, to where there wasn’t even any evidence that a rusty nail had ever pierced his hand.

Wow…such power in prayer.