This week we will focus on preparing our hearts for our 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting. Each day we will focus on an aspect of prayer. We will ask God to soften our hearts and our minds to meet with Him and hear from Him during the 21 days we will spend in prayer together as a church.
Read Matthew 6:9-13 NIV
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
I have been praying since I was a child, unaware of what I should say or how it should be said, just simply talking to Jesus! I learned the Lord’s Prayer by the time I was 10 years old and took pride in reciting it at church and to my family. It wasn’t until about 40 years later that I began to realize what this prayer was really about. Let’s break it down together!
The prayer begins with a praise to “Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Your name”. Starting our prayer by acknowledging our relationship with God as Our Father is powerful as we submit to Him as children. We prepare our hearts to be obedient.
Next we yield to His Will stating “Your kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. Part of being a child of God is caring about what He cares about. It is important to acknowledge His wisdom and respect His plans as prefect.
Next comes the ask for what we need: “Give us this day our daily bread”. This serves as a great reminder that God gives us all we need, all we need to do is ask!
Repent of our sins: “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors”. God offers all of us forgiveness and asks for us to offer this free gift to others.
Ask for help: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one”. As we pray, we take our stand against the enemy relying on God as our power source.
A simple prayer that addresses all we are thankful for, all we need, desire and are seeking forgiveness from! Thank you, Jesus, for this beautiful prayer. Amen
