Day 10: First Things First
Have you ever been to the Home affairs office to get an ID or Birth certificate or any official document that the government office is responsible for issuing? if you have you will acknowledge how there is a certain order or pattern to how you approach the department. You do not just walk in directly and start getting served. Like with many other offices you get helped by someone at the Front office or security gate who then directs you on how you can proceed. When you eventually get to the office or department you are seeking after there
are certain pre-requisite checks to make sure you have everything needed for the service you want to access, and then how you are attended to will also follow a set precedence of procedures which are designed to lead you towards the expected end. For example you cannot apply for a South African passport if you are not a South African citizen. You have to show that you are south african by producing documents that prove who you are etc
So it is with Prayer, there are certain good practices to employ in order to engage with God in a manner that pleases him, although I must say the pattern is way simpler that approaching the home affairs office. God's door is always open and He is welcoming of all who seek him. When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray he was not just giving them a prayer that they were supposed to memorise and repeat. When you look at the text carefully. Jesus was teaching them the pattern by which they should approach prayer so that they would be effective in their prayer lives. Let us break down the prayer he gave them and have a look at the pattern Jesus was showing us which will help us in our Prayer lives.
Read the Prayer below then reflect on each section of the prayer with the guideline below
' “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. ’ '
*Our Father* - The relationship which identifies and qualifies us as citizens of Heaven
- we address God as “Father.” We identify who He is. One definition of the word father is “source.” We are to go to God with the awareness and confession that He is the Source who can provide for the needs of everyone. Being our Father also means that our prayer is borne out of relationship not obligation.
*In Heaven* - The Spiritual Place denoting we are spiritual beings with a Spiritual Father
When you pray, “Our Father in heaven,” you’re saying to God, _“I recognize that I need help from outside my current realm.”_
Our earthly ways and solutions are usually not sufficient to address the help we really need when we need a breakthrough.
Prayer is a spiritual activity so we should not view it with a physical mindset rather engage with our spirit.
*Hallowed Be Your Name* - Approach God in worship and humility
The word hallowed means reverenced, set apart, or sanctified. This means we are to First worship the Father as the Holy One. Later on, we can make our requests, but we begin first with worship as we pray.
*Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done* - Let go of selfish ambition
“” This simply means that a true person of prayer is not interested in building his own kingdom. Our interest is in God’s kingdom and what He wants accomplished. We should always ask for the fulfillment of God’s prayer list before our own. What a reverse of how we usually do things! - Matthew 6:33 seek first the kingdom of God...
*
Give Us Our Daily Bread*- Pray for your needs as well as others
With this statement, Jesus is teaching us, “While you are in God’s presence and you are asking Him to be faithful to fulfil His own will on earth,” We are to pray, “Give us day by day our daily bread.” The plural tense used in this statement is tied to the “Our” in “Our Father.” If you tell God that you are coming to Him with the concerns of other people, then when you ask for bread, you have to ask for bread for everybody. We normally say, “Lord, provide for me.” We’re not thinking of anyone else. Yet God tells us once more, “Ask for others as well as yourself. Pray for others.”
As part of the Intercessors team we often pray for others but we should know as we pray for other we are also included in the us - God want us to benefit from prayer even as we pray for others - He is an inclusive God in his love but exclusive in His ways.
*Forgive Us Our Sins, for We also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.*
Jesus is now dealing with sin but also relationships.
When you come before God, Ask God to forgive you for your sins and ask The Holy Spirit to show you unrecognised sin so you can also ask for forgiveness.
Then check to see if anyone has anything against you or if you are holding anything against anyone. Don’t come into God’s presence and expect to have your prayers answered if you are asking God to forgive you, but you are refusing to forgive others.
As we pray we ask for the forgiveness of sins on behalf of others - for our Nation, our City, community or families - we acknowledge the sin that is prevalent and deal with the Spirit behind the sin - Just as Jesus prayed on the cross Father forgive them for they know not what they do...
*Lead Us not into Temptation*
*Last, Jesus says, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” This does not mean that God might steer us toward temptation against our wills. It means that we are to ask God for wisdom so we won’t put ourselves into situations that will cause us to compromise our relationship with Him. In other words, we are to ask God for strength and wisdom to stop making bad decisions and to stop going into situations that will tempt us to sin.
We need to be alert to the temptations and weaknesses that could harm our relationship with God and our testimony for Him, things that Satan will exploit to cause us to stumble. Then we need to pray that God will protect us from succumbing to them. The Bible says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11).
*Yours Is the Kingdom, The Power, and Glory Forever*
Some of the biblical manuscripts include this benediction at the end of Jesus’ teaching on prayer in Matthew’s gospel: “For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13 NKJV). *After you have prayed, then worship the Father again.*
When you do so, you’re saying to God, “I know You’re going to answer this prayer; therefore, I’m going to thank You ahead of time. I’m going to give You all the glory that comes from whatever happens. When the answer is manifested, I’m going to tell everybody that it is because of You.” All the power and all the glory belong to God forever.
*Summary:*
Acknowledge God in Thanksgiving
Worship Him in Spirit and in Truth
Let God's will be your detemination
Claim His Daily Divine Providence
Let God Unburden you from the weight of sin & Unforgiveness
Allow God to Lead you in righteousness
Praise God for the breakthrough and Answer that is set before you *because you have Prayed.*
Acknowledgement:
_I have included some text and adapted it for View Intercessors Handbook from "How to call Heaven to Earth" by Dr Miles Munroe_
other references: Pray First - Prayer manual - A church of the Highlands Prayer resource