Teach Us To Pray

Recently we finished a series of sermons based on the Lord's Prayer.

We called our series, "Teach Us to Pray."

The title of the series comes from the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray.

If there was ever anyone who could teach us to pray, it is Jesus.

We used the Lord's prayer recorded in Matthew's Gospel. We also used the King James version. 

Our reason for using this translation is simple: this is the way I memorized the Lord's Prayer as a kid. 

When I try to quote the Lord's Prayer from a newer translation, I end up messing it up and confusing everyone. So we memorized the KJV as a church.

Below is a short summary of our 6 week series. I hope it challenges you to begin daily interacting with God through prayer.

Matthew 6:9-13

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

1 – 9 Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

We start our prayer with thanksgiving. Thanking Him for who He is.

2 – 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

We are asking God to establish His reign and to reveal His will.

3 – 11 Give us this day our daily bread.

Our Father wants us to rest in His daily provision and depend on Him to take care of us in every area of our lives.

4 – 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

God wants to forgive us and He wants us to learn to forgive others the same way He forgives us.

Remember: You will never have to forgive someone more than God has forgiven you!

"Forgiveness isn't saying they were right, forgiveness is freeing me from the hurts of my past, and empowering me to live free."

5 – 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

God wants to help us overcome temptation. Ask God to make you strong in the face of temptation and to help you live a pure and holy life.

"Why does God test us? To see what’s in us? No, he already knows.

He tests us so that we might know what is in our hearts." John Bevere, A Heart Ablaze, pg. 49

“God TESTS us to make us STRONG… the enemy TEMPTS us to make us WRONG!

6 – 13 For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Our priority in life should be to build His kingdom, through His power for HIs glory. Anything less means we are living for our on glory and not His.

It is my desire that the people who follow me as I follow Christ learn to have a habit of daily intreating with God. I believe that we need to make spending time in prayer a daily priority.

Jesus prayed often. If prayer was a key for Jesus life, it should be a key for our lives too!

I hope this blog entry has helped you in your pursuit of knowing God.