Bible Reading: Judges 20-21; Luke 11:1-28.
Memory Verse: “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” Luke 11:2 (KJV)
The disciples requested Jesus to teach them how to pray because they saw him praying at different times. It is pertinent to note that a number of Christians do not know how to tarry in place of prayer as they feel they can ask for their needs from God within a minute. So what else would they be saying?
The Lord’s Prayer is a great guide on how to pray as stated by our Lord and Saviour. This prayer can be used in two different ways. First, it is a complete prayer on its own and should be prayed to God as it is. It covers all the areas one should pray for. Hear our Saviour in Luke 11:2-4 (KJV), “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. [3] Give us day by day our daily bread. [4] And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”
On the other hand, it can also be used as a Prayer Plan. The first part “Our father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” is a form of Praise; hallowing God for who He is. The Bible says in Psalm 100:4 (KJV), “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.” So to pray to God, it’s good that you start with thanksgiving, praise and worship to show forth your appreciation of God’s blessings upon you. In addition, you must recognize the need to reverence God and hold Him in the highest esteem. This is the reason for the petition of hallowing the name.
The next petition is to pray for the kingdom of God to come. For this to happen, the whole world would have been evangelized because Jesus Christ is to come after everyone on earth has been preached to. Then the petition of The will of God being done on earth as it is in heaven. This should start with you living a life of righteousness and joy under the direction of the Holy Spirit. You need to pray this for the whole world. The fourth petition starts with the personal needs. Give us our daily bread. This entails asking God for all your needs including, food, shelter, clothe, and other needs.
Then is the prayer of forgiveness. You need to check yourself if you have truly forgiven those that sinned against you. Today is Good Friday. It is an anniversary of the day Jesus was crucified for all our sins. It is a day when the one who had no sin took upon all the sins of the whole world so that we may have direct access to God Almighty. You therefore need to forgive others to follow the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. And if you have not, then you need to do so now. Thereafter, you can ask God for forgiveness of your own sins.
Finally, the last petition of God delivering us from evil. You know your adversary is roaming about the earth looking for whom he may devour. However, once you are living right, God will protect you from falling into temptation. This is why you need to continuously pray to God for guidance.
Prayer Point: Pray the Lord’s Prayer with understanding.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero