When You Pray...

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” Matthew 6:5-15

Although Christ’s disciples saw Him work many miracles during their three-year apprenticeship, the Bible records only one instance in which they asked their Master to explain His phenomenal power. “Lord teach us to pray...,” they requested after observing Christ in a concentrated time of communion with the Father (Luke 11:1). They must have grasped that somehow prayer was the invisible source of Jesus’ ministry and their success depended upon understanding its secrets.

What followed was a pattern that all believers can follow and apply. At the heart of Christ’s instructions is the pivotal phrase: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). This is the core of genuine prayer, seeking and submitting to the will of God in every circumstance. That was Jesus’ primary concern: “...not as I will, but as You will” (Matt. 26:39).

Evangelist Dwight L. Moody said, “Prayer means that I am to be raised up into feeling, into union and design with Him; that I am to enter into His counsel and carry out His purpose fully.” Whatever your circumstance today, let prayer steer you into His will.

“Jesus...withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.” John 6:15