In Matthew the 6th Chapter Jesus taught his disciples about prayer and it gives us a template not just about prayer but about living our daily lives. In what is commonly called the “Lord’s Prayer” there are essentially four areas for us to direct our prayers.
- Acknowledge to God that we are awaiting His kingdom and his plan for earth. “Your kingdom come, your will be done.”
- Ask for our daily sustenance as we live our lives in the physical world. “Give us this day our daily bread.”
- Ask to live free of guilt for our own sins and free of bitterness from the ways we have been wronged by others. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”
- Ask for strength against the god of this world’s temptations. “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
And this is the manner in which we should pray… “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)
- Acknowledge that the Father God who is spirit and unseen in our physical world sees the prayers that we utter in secret.
- Have faith that God will reward us by answering our prayers.