Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 3 June 1999 — Page 43

Jesus teaches us how to pray

The Muncie Times, June 3,1999, Page 43

“And it came to pass that as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1. Jesus gave his disciples the outline or model of prayer. He showed them the method by which a person can enter into the presence of God. Many times we pray or have prayed and our prayers did not get into the presence of God, because we did not know the combination that unlocks heaven’s door. The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, is the method that God is pleased with. “And when thou prayest, thou shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the comers of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their rewards. But thou, when thou prays, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” This passage deals with the private prayer. We are to pray in this reference in our own room where God sees only you. Though this has to do with private prayers, all prayers must be conducted in the manner Jesus taught his disciples. In this manner, therefore we pray: “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed by thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be don in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us

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not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” We will now break down and outline the prayer: Our Father which art in Heaven. (Praise) This is the acknowledgment of the God who created the heavens and the earth. This is the time we enter into His presence with praise and thanksgivings. We must recognize his lofty position, and universal Fatherhood. The psalmists said: “Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” Psalm 100:3,4. We can spend a great deal of time at this point. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” Rev. 4:11. When we acknowledge him as our Father we consider ourselves to be his children. We can pray or ask the Father for the blessings we need. “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your

children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” Matt. 7:11. We are the sheep of his pasture, he maketh us to lie down in green pastures. Hallowed be Thy name. God is Holy. His presence is Holy. His name is Holy. “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.” Psalm 111:9 The name of God has to do with his personality. “We must acknowledge him as Elohim — the one who created the heavens and earth. His is Elshaddai, the nourisher. He gives strength to the weak. He restores your youth as Abraham and Sarah.” Gen. 17:1. “He is Jehovah Ji-reh, the one who provides a ram in the bush. The God who supplies our needs.” Gen. 22:13,14. “He is Ropheaka the healer.” Exodus 15:26. “Nissi, the fighter.” Exodus 17:15. Many of his other personal names we can address in a more personal way. But above all names is the name of Jesus, the Savior. We must not come before him without respecting his name, his character and dignity. His name is himself. In one scripture he said:

“Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions; for my name is in him.” Exodus 23:20. Thy Kingdom come. Here we must pray for the kingdom of God to come on the earth. “We must pray for the peace of Jerusalem and the other nations of the earth. We must pray for God’s universal control. The right to rule is God’s. For he is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.” Ezek. 21:25, 26; Rev. 19:11-16. Here you pray for the president, governors, kings, police force and all of those in authority. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done. Here we must submit ourselves to the will of God. He knows what is best for us. He knows what we need before we ask Him. Our desires might not be his will. We must always say “Thy will be done.” In everything thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day. This is the time we ask God for what we want. This must be done on a daily basis. God wants us to pray to him every day. He loves the daily fellowship. Forgive us our debts. We are never so good that we can escape the need of this request. In our best state we are less than vanity. Here we must clear ourselves from all evil and sins. God will not walk with the proud or the lofty. We need a daily

cleansing. Lead us not into temptation. “We must be aware that we are yet in the flesh and the flesh lusteth against the Spirit.” Gal. 5:16. “There are a lot of pitfalls that Satan sets and if you get too close you will be tempted to sin, and possibly fall.” 1 Cor. 10:12, 13. Deliver us from evil. There are some things that sometimes take hold of us and bind and hinder us from doing what we want to do for the Lord. There are demons of depression, obsession, oppression and many other things that come to hinder us in our Christian walk. Paul said on one occasion: “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.” So there are things that get in our way and hold us back. We need to pray for deliverance from the evil one. “Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. At this point, we praise God again as we end our prayer. You can spend a great deal of time studying this point. After praying, you sign your prayer, not with your name or your good behavior, but only in the name of Jesus Christ. “For only through him will we obtain deliverance and blessing.” John 14:13, 14; Rom. 5:1,2; Heb. 4:20. This is how we are supposed to pray and have communion with God. Amen and amen.