БОЛЬШАЯ ИДЕЯ
Prayer is as simple as talking to God.
ЧИТАТЬ
Matt. 6:5–18
МЫСЛИ
Many people get stuck because of their misconceptions of prayer. They feel that they need to use particular words. They think that there’s a specific way to pray. They believe that one must come up with a great sounding prayer to be heard by God. They feel guilty after days of not talking to God.
Prayer is part of the relationship. It’s what you do out of love, not out of obligation. Prayer is talking with God. It’s speaking, and it’s listening. We learn that it needs to flow from our heart (Ps. 18:6; Mark 15:34), simply (Matt. 6:7), honestly, authentically (Ps. 38:9; Prov. 16:2; James 4:3), and humbly (2 Chron. 7:14; Ps. 66:18).
As we talk to God, we learn that prayer is not for God’s ben- efit; it’s for ours. We find several benefits as we speak with God regularly.
- We develop a close relationship with God (Matt. 6:5–13; John 17:11, 20–21).
- We are filled with peace (Phil. 4:6–7).
- We are strengthened to fight temptation (Matt. 26:1).
- We are encouraged when we are tired (Luke 18:1).
- We are prepared to hear God’s voice (John 14:26).
- We are ready to receive His wisdom (James 1:5).
- We are positioned to have our needs supplied (Matt. 7:7,8; John 16:24).
Types of Prayer
Jesus modelled many kinds of ways of talking with God (Matt. 6:5–13; Luke 18:1; John 17; Eph. 6:18). He promised that God hears us each time we pray, and He knows what we need before we ask (Matt. 6:7–8).
- Pre-scripted—Jesus prayed the psalms and modelled prayer (Ps. 22:1, 31:5).
- Spontaneous—Jesus modelled prayer from the heart (John 17).
- Praise or Adoration—We recognize God for who He is (Matt. 11:25).
- Thanksgiving—We thank God for what He has done (John 11:41).
- Petition—We pray for needs and wisdom (Heb. 5:7).
- Agreement—We pray God’s will as revealed in His Word
- (Acts 4:23–24).
- Intercession—We pray for others (Luke 22:32; John 17).
- Listening—We wait to hear God speaking to us, and we can listen to His Spirit talk to us in a personal way (1 Kings 19:11–12).
A Model Prayer
Jesus gave us a model prayer as a way of teaching His disci- ples to pray spontaneously out of their hearts. We can learn to talk to God in the same way. As you follow each section, you can start to put the parts into your own words.
“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. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” Matt. 6:9–13
“Our Father in heaven …”
God wants to be known as our Father (Rom. 8:15). Thank Him for the relationship you have with Him.
“… Hallowed be Your Name …”
Recognize who God is in your life. Saviour. Healer. Provider. Peace. Thank Him for all He has done for you.
“… Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”
Submit your life and agenda to God’s priorities. Give the situa- tions in your life to Him to take care of His way.
“… Give us this day, our daily bread …”
Ask Him for your daily needs. Let Him know your needs and depend on Him for the results.
“… Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors …”
Ask God to forgive you of your sin. Talk to God about the pain others have brought to you. Forgive them, and release them from owing you in any way.
“… And do not lead us into temptation but deliver us from the evil one…”
Pray that God helps you resist temptations that come from inside you and from outside of you (Eph. 6:12).
“… For yours is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever.” Express your faith in God’s ability to accomplish His plan and purpose ultimately.
ВОПРОСЫ И ОТВЕТЫ
HOW LONG SHOULD I PRAY?
There are no minimum time requirements in the Bible. Prayer is talking to God, not a formula to get what you want. It can hap- pen at different times each day (Dan. 6:10-28) or all at once.
HOW DO I KNOW THAT GOD WILL HEAR MY PRAYER?
God always answers prayer, but He may not always answer our prayer as we want Him to. If you begin writing down your prayers in a journal and date them when the prayer is answered, you’ll grow in your faith. Sometimes when a prayer isn’t answered, it reveals that God has another plan or is trying to teach us some- thing.
I DON’T THINK I CAN PRAY PUBLICLY AS WELL AS OTH- ERS DO.
Sometimes we hear other people pray and think that we need to use the flowery language that they do. Prayer is about being yourself and genuinely connecting with God. You don’t need to use a special language. Some people articulate very well public- ly. Some people don’t. God responds to the heart (Luke 18:9–14).
HOW DO I HEAR GOD’S VOICE?
We first become aware of God’s voice through little nudges to stop or proceed with our words or actions. As we read the Bible, certain Bible passages will come back to us. As we pray for God to give us wisdom, we will be given a way forward. We become more aware of God’s direction with time.