I woke up this morning with a few needs pressing on my heart. Maybe you did as well. In paying attention to my words, my prayer was not a laundry list asking God to give something.
We pray not so much to get God to do things our way, but to bend our wills to His. We pray to admit our great, and often, desperate need of Him. We pray for guidance, for protection, and for our lives to align with His purposes.
I opened my Bible in the early morning light to read the familiar words. Comfort and peace fill my anxious heart and mind as my eyes take in the words:
“Jesus said, “This is how you should pray; Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. Give us each day the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation.” (Luke 11:2-4, NLT).
It has now been a few hours that I have sat taking in these verses over and over as I pray and pause. Here’s what I am learning this morning:
- Keep God’s name holy. “Hallow it be Thy name”. God must receive the glory and praise He alone deserves. We pray for His will and purposes to be achieved both in this life and in the coming Kingdom, which He will establish.
- Come before Him daily. We need Him each day and each day He will be suffice for the needs present. We must ask Him for the provisions for that day’s journey.
- Lighten the load. As we confess our sin, the load we carry is less heavy for we leave it behind. We receive forgiveness and we forgive those who have wronged us. The wonder of it all is that we can forgive others without them having to ask us to forgive. It is our own load which become lightened.
- Prayer keeps us from yielding to temptation. Temptation is anything, anything at all, that would lead me awry.
Jesus knew hardship, disappointment, frustration, and hurt. He also knew that it was only as He remained intimate with His Father through prayer that He would remain in His Father’s will. It was only through prayer that He would live a life that trusted and depended on His Father. And it is the only way we will as well.
From the book “90 days in John 14-17, Romans, James”, I read this about prayer:
“Our prayers are to be shaped and constrained by what we know of Jesus. We are to pray with the grain of his name, and not against it – for the sake of the glory of his name, and not ours.” (page 38)
There are things I cannot change, fix, or make happen. But there is one thing I can do.
And so this morning, I find myself asking Jesus the same thing as one of his disciples also asked, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
Today I am joining … #DreamTogether and Moments of Hope and Soul Survival and Inspire Me Monday .
Amen. I want to keep these things in mind and never come waltzing without a sense of God’s holiness and my own sin in prayer. This was a good reminder. Thank you sister. <3
I love your thought, Emily. It is that very waltz that will bring about a life dance with Him that is beautiful! Blessings!
This is beautiful, Joanne. I continue to pray the Lord’s Prayer several times a week because it is so rich and always has a fresh need for each need. “We pray not so much to get God to do things our way, but to bend our wills to His.” Amen.
And sometimes my will needs bending, again and again. Grateful for you, Lisa.
Great insights, Joanne. I remember once asking someone advice on how to pray about a situation. They suggested using the Lord’s Prayer. At first I was a bit disappointed as I had been expecting something more, but when you break it down and look at it, it actually contains all we need and is a great example of how to pray. I think it’s a continual journey to learn to do that well.
I agree with you, Leslie. Prayer is a continual journey and one that changes as life changes, sometimes even daily. The beauty of prayer is that the One we pray to never changes. He always remains the same! Blessings!
Love how you used confession as “lighten the load.” So very true! It’s an opportunity to be cleansed and given a fresh start.
Joanne,
For the past few days, I have been waking up really early with a restless spirit. I have felt called to pray. Thank you for this reminder of what a powerful thing prayer is. Sometimes some situations seem so hopeless and I say, “All I can do is pray.” When, in actuality prayer is the most powerful weapon against the enemy. Thank you sweet friend.
Blessings,
Bev xx
Bev, it is so true that we sometimes view prayer as such a small act. But it is huge when our prayers are met by the power of our God. It is then the answers come. I hope the days are getting better and easier for you! xo
Dear Joanne, I never saw “our daily bread” as our perpetual need of Jesus. That’s a game-changer for me. Your interpretations change a dutiful template prayer, a list of do’s and don’t s into a more intimate conversation between Father and child. Thank you for sharing your heart and insights.
Oh Alice, thank you for encouraging me! I know I need Him daily. Much the way the Israelites could only gather enough manna for each day, I need to gather from His Word what I need to meet the demands of each day in my life here. Blessings!