How to pray? Where to begin? What to pray for? The Lord’s Prayer provides a template or order in which prayer could be done. (Matthew 6:9-13)
1) Celebration: Prayer begins from God, how he loved us, and his relationship with us. Those who accepted him become his children, and have the right to call Him, Abba, Father. (John 1:12; Romans 8:15) It is a joyful celebration of a marvellous relationship. Addressing God as ‘our’ father means having a sense of belonging with all believers around the world.
2) Holiness: ‘Hallowed be your name is an important aspect. We cannot add holiness to God. How people perceive God is revealed by a Christian’s lifestyle, attitude, words, and behaviour. Christians being light to the world and salt of the earth, provoke those who are not Christians to worship the Heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:13-16)
3) Kingdom of God: Lord Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His Kingdom is eternal and unshakeable. (Hebrews 12:28) All Christians are called to invite others to this Kingdom. Praying for all Christians to be ambassadors of the Kingdom, and mission efforts are essential aspects of prayer.
4) Will of God: God’s will should be done every time, everywhere. The Church should do His will and so should each Christian. The Will of God is pleasant, acceptable, and perfect. (Romans 12:2) Knowing God’s will and doing God’s will is the greatest wisdom.
5) Bread: In fact, all our physical, emotional, psychological, relational, intellectual, physiological, and financial needs are represented as bread.
6) Result of forgiveness: God expects people of God to be generous to others. Forgiving others is the greatest gift of generosity.
7) Commitment and Protection: Prayer ends with commitment and pleading for deliverance from evil. If we live on this earth, the temptation is real, God has to protect us. He can keep us from falling. (Jude 1: 24-25)
Prayer is God-centered, it begins with God, His character, Kingdom, and will and then addresses human physical, spiritual and moral needs.
How is my prayer life today?