Lord Teach Us to Pray

‘Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.’ We need to know who we’re praying to. He is the One who, above all, loves us more than we can imagine. He gave His Son to die so that we may have life. ‘And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him’(1 John 4:16). He is righteous and supreme, the One before whom we fall on our faces in reverence and awe.<>em> ‘To him be glory and power for ever and ever!’ (Revelation 1:6).

‘Your Kingdom come.’ Jesus spent much of His time on earth teaching about the Kingdom of God, where God reigns in majesty and power. This perfect kingdom will surely come, when the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21:1 & 4).

‘Your will be done on earth as in heaven.’ His will is always for our good. We need to recognise this, as His plan for our life unfolds. ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him’ (Romans 8:28).

‘Give us today our daily bread.’ We depend on God for all we need in life, but He wants to give us more. As we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, we have everything we need for life and godliness. ‘for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom’ (Luke 12:32).

‘Forgive us our sins.’ We need to seek His forgiveness for all our sins, for sin is the greatest blockage to heaven. God has provided a way where we can all come to Him with clean hands and a pure heart - by the death and resurrection of His beloved Son. ‘If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness’ (1 John 1:9).

‘As we forgive those who sin against us.’ As we receive forgiveness and cleansing for our sins, we must also forgive those who have sinned against us, to make way for the full forgiveness of God. ‘See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many’ (Hebrews 12:15).

‘Lead us not into temptation.’ Help me to resist temptations of the world, for ‘small is the gate and narrow the way which leads to life’ (Matthew 7:14).

‘But deliver us from the evil one.’ Keep me safe from the clutches of evil. I recognise this comes only by my continual submission to Your covering in Jesus Christ; the shield of faith that protects me from all the fiery arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16).

‘Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the splendour and the majesty, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all’ (1 Chronicles 29:11). Amen.

Prayer: Father, I want to grow in relationship with you and grow in learning to pray as you have taught. Thank you that you hear me whenever I call to you. You hear my praises when I worship you. Please draw closer so that I hear your voice more clearly as we share in relationship together. In Jesus’ name Amen.