How to Pray
“Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
One of the greatest passions in my life is helping others recognize and find their true calling. I am a firm believer in the power of prayer. I know that I would never have been able to get through some of the hardest moments in my life if it weren’t for prayer.
I strongly believe that when we pray to God, amazing things happen. One of the biggest questions I get all the time is, “How do you pray?”. I am at the point in my relationship with God that I simply talk to him like I would my closest friend.
Before we start our day, and even when we wind down, my husband and I lead each other in prayer. We start by reciting what the Bible calls, “The Lord’s Prayer”. This is found in Matthew 6:9-13. It is a very simple and popular prayer–but I have found great power and comfort in each line.
“This, then, is how you should pray, ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'” Matthew 6:9-13 NIV
Our Father who is in Heaven…
Jesus is characterizing God as the Father in Heaven. This showcases how God is a father in all of our lives who truly cares for us. He is our loving Father.
Hallowed be your name…
What does hallowed mean? Webster describes it as, greatly revered or respected. It also says to honor as holy. Holy means set apart. We describe God as holy. He is the one true God in which all things are made. His name is holy and we cherish him.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…
We are asking God to make His good and perfect will be done on earth, in our lives–in this moment. He has dominion over all things. This just assures that we trust His will for our lives and want what He wants.
Give us this day our daily bread…
God wants to supply our every need. He loves to bless His people with exactly what we need. In the days of Moses, God would supply him and the children of Israel with manna from heaven everyday. This was bread that they would receive from heaven daily so that they could survive in the desert. This is what we are asking God for, each day. We ask him for the things we need in order to survive.
Forgive us our debts…
We are asking God to forgive our sins. No matter how big or how small–we know that we need His grace in our lives.
As we forgive our debtors…
This is probably the hardest part of the prayer. We need to be able to forgive those who have hurt us. Jesus knew this. God forgives us for all the wrong that we do. As Christians, we are called to be like Him. Even when Jesus was on the cross, he cried out to the Father saying, “Forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:24)
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…
We are asking God to lead our lives away from all the things that tempt us. Whenever someone is tempted, it’s usually because whatever they are tempted with is dangerous for their well-being. We are asking God to lead us into his peace for our benefit. As we all know, there is evil in this world. But rest assured, the light of God triumphs over darkness. I don’t know where you are in this life as you read this. You might be feeling the weight of the whole world on your shoulders from the anxiety of day-to-day pressures. Just know that there is a God in Heaven who loves you and is fighting for you. His name is Jesus and He has overcome the world.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
XO-
Sabrina
Field Christian was only 1 when I took this pic. He loves praying.