1 post tagged “prayer”

Matthew 6:5-13

   And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray in the synagogues the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (5)

   But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to they Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. (6)

   But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do:for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (7)

   Be ye not therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him. (8)

   After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. (9)

   Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. (10_

   Give us this day our daily bread. (11)

   And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (12)

   And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (13) 

                                                        The King James Bible

   How many of us pray this way? Jesus is very specific in his definition of prayer. How many of us, when in the company of others, wax eloquent, and pray longer and longer, the fancier the words the better? Are we praying to the Lord, or are we praying for the benefit of others? The Lord knows the difference, and He is not the one you would like to wax eloquent for. When you pray, how do you pray? Do you pray as the Bible reads? Do you try to put on airs? Do you pray the same thing over and over, maybe changing the words a little to throw off the other people around you? You aren't throwing God off. He knows exactly what you are doing and He isn't pleased. Do we start off praising Him as Jesus says you should? Praising the Lord is the first thing you should do. He deserves our praise, our honor, our glory, our blessings. He created the world. He created everything in it. He created you and I to love Him, and He wants your love. But He gave us free will, so a lot of people just kind of forget to pray at all. How can you grow in your Christian walk if you spend no time with the one who died for you? Don't just pray and then sit there until you feel that you have sat there long enough to make everyone happy. Pray--sing--read His Word--and of course LISTEN. How will you know what He wants you to do or what His Will is if you don't listen? Be still--listen for that still small voice to speak to you. Read His Word and listen to what His Word is saying to you. He uses His Word to let us know what He wants of us, what He wants us to do, where He wants us to go, how to use our talents for His Glory, how to not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. Let others see Christ in you. But how can you do that if you don't know who He is, His character, His love for us, all the good things He wants for us? When you pray, pray His Word. When you praise Him, and then ask Him to provide for us for that day. Don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Do you not believe the Lord will give you all you need? He loves us with a love that we have no idea how strong and giving, and how He initially created this world for us and it was perfect until sin came into the world. When you pray, if you are a Christian, you are speaking with your Father, your best friend, the one who knows you inside and outside. You have to spend time with Him to know what His plans are for you while you are in this world. You cannot expect to know anyone, especially God, if you don't spend time with them. He loves the time we spend with Him and He will spend time with you anytime you have time for Him. If you love Him, it should not be a chore to spend time with Him. You should pray without ceasing. That means staying in an attitude of prayer, so if anything comes up that you need to talk to Him about, you are already talking with and spending time with Him. That is one of the most precious things you can do. Stay in an attitude of prayer, pray for your family, friends, your pastor, your lost friends and family, the lost everywhere, that you will allow the Holy Spirit to work through you so that others see the Lord in you. That is one of the best ways to witness. To let others see Christ in you. How can you do that if you don't know Christ? How can you know Christ if you don't read the story of His life and talk to Him in prayer---not the way the hypocrites do. Their prayers don't go any farther than the ceiling. How can you talk to someone who you don't know and more importantly doesn't know you? Please spend time in His Word--please spend time in fellowship with other Christians--and most of all, please spend time with Him in prayer. Prayer is a privilege, an honor. It is not guarenteed to everyone, especially those who only go to Him when they need something special. it is an honor to be able to talk to the Lord of Lord and King of Kings, the I AM, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. After all is said and done, He is able to be trusted, believed, honored, and praised. He deserves your time in prayer, He wants to spend time with us--what an Honor!!