21 Days of Prayer
DAY 6 - Matthew 6:9-15
9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don't let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one,
14 "If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
CONSIDER THE CONTEXT
Jesus had just finished giving one of His most powerful and profound sermons about the Kingdom of Heaven. Nine points that began with "Blessed are..." summed up how we are to participate in the power that is God's Kingdom. The Sermon on the Mount, to this day, remains one of the most studied and taught sermons ever. After that teaching, Jesus touched on a list of points ranging from murder to divorce to giving to the poor. Jesus emphasized how a person who walks in the Kingdom considers God's perspective rather than the world's views on the areas that impact their lives. Right in the middle of this list Jesus speaks on prayer.
CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS
Jesus goal in speaking about prayer was to make prayer really simple. He gave a wonderful lesson on how to pray to the people who had chosen to follow Him. Many have taken this beautiful prayer as a template on what our prayers should look like. Although this isn't necessarily wrong, it misses the mark of what Jesus was trying to get across to the people. You see, Jesus was saying prayer is such a natural thing. It isn't suppose to be showy (don't make a spectacle of your prayers). It doesn't have to be eloquent (don't babble on and on). Prayer is suppose to be a natural conversation where we understand the one we are praying to and who we are in His eyes. As we consider prayer today, make it a conversation with the most powerful being ever in existence who just so happens to believe that, through His work, you can do no wrong.
CONSIDER THE PRAYER
God, I join the masses who just don't understand prayer. Today I take Jesus' direction and just talk to you like a friend. I can't believe that I get to talk to you in this way. God, I have needs. God my Church has needs. We, most of all, need you but we also have things that need to get done. We need people to join us so that we can complete all that we believe you are telling us to do. We have so many practical needs that can come with the things of this world (money, time, people, connections, etc.). I confess I don't know how those things are going to come about in my life, but today, I just ask. I tell you all these things, not because you don't know them, but because you want to connect with me and I want that connection as well. Thank you for your love for me. Thank you that my Church wants to get that love out into the world. Help us all to know how we are to walk with you on this adventure. I love you! Amen.
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