When we become born-again through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, our spiritual journey in him begins. 2Corinthians 5:17(NLT) tells us, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” With this new life, we are told to read and study God’s Word often and to pray as much as our schedules will allow. The reality is that these things do not come as naturally to us as we think. One indication of this is in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 6. Jesus Christ had to teach the disciples how to pray effectively, and many of us could use a refresher course as well. We may know how to ask God for what we need, but our prayers to Him should be about so much more.
Lesson A: Know Who You’re Praying to
In Matthew 6:9, Jesus Christ taught us that the very first thing we do when going before God in prayer is communicate our understanding of who God is. Psalm 99:5(NLT) says, “Exalt the LORD our God! Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!” Revelation 4:8 tells us that the living beings around God’s throne each have six wings that are covered with eyes. They never rest or sleep, and they never stop saying “Holy, holy, holy is he Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is to come.” As you and I ponder this, we might think to ourselves, “Gosh, don’t they ever get tired of this continual praise?” The answer is “No!” Anything glorious deserves glory! Our Heavenly Father is more glorious than any living being can comprehend. He deserves ALL glory! There is no greater task that one can possess than praising God. It’s the greatest thing that any of us could ever hope to do. The supreme intellect of the living beings is signified by their recognition of this truth. They can’t stop praising Him because His goodness is continual, consistent, and eternal. He never stops loving, giving, and blessing.
Jesus taught the disciples to begin prayer with “Our Father, whose throne is in heaven, HOLY is Your name!” God is holy! His very name is holy, and there isn’t another attribute in the span of humanity that compares to His supreme holiness. There’s none like Him. In terms of our limited understanding of His fullness, He’s righteous beyond righteousness, just beyond justice, true beyond truth, powerful beyond power, strong beyond strength, intelligent beyond intelligence, loving beyond love, gracious beyond grace, and merciful beyond mercy. His goodness is so bountiful that it exceeds definition. The depth of His unmatched generosity is inexhaustible. When we come to Him in prayer, our Lord and Master, His beloved Son, has informed us that we must have a heart that at the very least acknowledges the holiness of our Awesome God.
Lesson B: Prayer Is About God’s Will, Not Ours
In his template for a meaningful and appropriate mind-and-heart-set for prayer, Jesus Christ taught the disciples in Matthew 6:10(NLT) to also pray, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our Lord and Master has informed us of God’s priorities and plan for the earth. Our privilege and responsibility is to pray that earth becomes an extension of His Kingdom, and that HIS WILL is done on earth as it is in heaven. Many of us kinda’ breeze right by this one, but it is uber important we hit the pause button and visit a while.
In John 8:29 (KJV), Jesus said, “And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.” That’s a terrifically wonderful thing to say about your own level of allegiance to the Father’s Will. In this verse, Jesus Christ first told us that God never forsakes him, and then he told us that he, himself, only did the things that God would be pleased with. In John 6:38(KJV), he said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” This statement is the heart of all that we are and can ever hope to be. Jesus is our example. We’re his body, and he is our head. He’s the husband, and we’re the bride. We follow the pattern that he’s left for us. If his agenda on earth was to do the Will of the Father, what do you think our agenda is? It’s to do exactly the same thing.
So often, we go to God expecting Him to follow through on our agendas, but that’s not how it works. We are here on this earth to carry forth God’s agenda. He’s given us faith and equipped us spiritually to bring into manifestation the things that He has already willed. We keep thinking that we set the wheels in motion, that our wants and needs dictate His moves. Not so. Acts 17:28 tells us it’s in God that we live, move, and have our being. We move according to the plan He put in place before the foundation of the world.
Lesson C: Pray with Purpose
Prayer is not as much about God checking in with us as it is about us checking in with God. Jesus already assured us in Matthew 6:8 that God knows what we need before we even ask Him. As we grow into spiritual maturity, our focus shouldn’t be so much on God taking care of a need, because He’s already promised to do this. Our focus should be the intimacy of the dialogue we have with Him. Heavenly Father speaks to our minds through our spirits, and there should be an intent on our parts to listen for His directives, because this is what helps us to pray and walk in purpose.
Often, we think we’re praying when we’ve actually disconnected from hearing God because our intention to do His Will isn’t where it needs to be. We’re not as determined as we should be to leave our time with God in prayer knowing more about what He requires from us than when we fell on our knees to begin with. We have to change this. James 4:8(NLT) tells us, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.” When we listen for the voice of God, in all likelihood, we will not get a burning bush or an angel giving us His messages. God wants intimacy with us. He will impress His desires upon our hearts through our spirits if we pray with the purpose of hearing His Will and heeding it.■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“The ABCs of Prayer” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2018. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.