Well…maybe.  I don’t have access to your prayers so I don’t know, but I have written a post on prayer just in case, to hopefully help if you do happen to have questions about how God wants us to pray.

The Lord wants us to talk to Him.  Prayer can be incredibly simple, or it can be equally elaborate, but we have been given a specific blueprint for prayer that many of us often ignore.  Later we question why our prayers are not answered.

When the Apostles asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He provided them the basic outline for prayer, and this prayer has become known as The Lord’s Prayer.  Most of us have heard this prayer,  seen it somewhere, recited it, and many of us may even have it memorized.  But, the the real issue is…#1 Do you understand what it says?  And #2 Do you follow it as the prescribed outline for your prayers? There is no way anyone can ever say it better than the Son of God said it Himself.

Because the language is confusing, or because we have recited it so many times we’ve grown numb, merely reeling it off or glossing over it, I am going to crack it open and offer an explanation of what it actually says.

Jesus said:  (Matthew 6) “…your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.  ⁹ “Pray, then, in this way:

Our Father, who is in Heaven (This is a salutation addressing God as our Father. Thus, we are His children. Children ask parents for things, good parents provide things children need.  Good parents don’t spoil their children.  Children don’t dictate the terms of the relationship, nor do they determine their parents’ actions.  Parents discipline children when necessary, in love, and good parents ultimately know better than children what is good for them.  This salutation also clearly acknowledges that God does exist, is in Heaven, does hear us, and desires that we pray to Him directly.)

Hallowed be Your name (This phrase means, God, your name be exalted…let everyone proclaim and raise up God’s name.  To proclaim and raise God’s name we must actually be vocal in professing our faith in Him.  May your name be glorified in both your healing of us, and also in the way we, the people of faith, handle suffering…with grace. Further this statement says that I raise you above all…including myself.  I place myself under your control.  I do not attempt to stand over you and dictate who you are, hold your actions or your laws on trial, or control what areas of my life I will allow you access to.)

Your Kingdom Come (God I desire you spread your kingdom across this earth until the time of Christ’s return to reign over your chosen.  Please come soon!)

Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven (I acknowledge Your will controls every event of both Heaven and Earth either by Your design or by Your allowance.  I am in alignment with Your will.  I desire Your will for my life and the lives of others.  Even if Your will is not what I might selfishly think I want…I know You know better than I what is good, and I trust Your plan.  I know that You make all things work together for the good of those who love You – Romans 8:28.)

Give us this day our daily bread (Give me the health, strength, energy, and spiritual nourishment necessary to serve You. Give my family, friends, and my brothers and sister in Christ the health strength, energy and spiritual nourishment to serve you.  Give me neither poverty nor riches, but only my daily ration so I may not have such wealth I would say “Who has a need for the Lord?,” or I would be so poor I would steal and dishonor your name.  I understand It would be a curse for You to give me such abundance that I would no longer feel a need to seek you, and thus fall away. – Proverbs 30:7-9)

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us (I acknowledge I am a depraved sinner and a hypocrite.  I ask Your forgiveness of my sins.  In my deep sense of regret I seek to change the wrong doing in my life and strive to live a life of good.   In sincere recognition of my sinful condition and hypocrisy I show forgiveness and mercy to others when they sin against me, and I desire to be patient with those who are indebted to me.  I do this because I recognize I can never repay the gifts of grace and salvation You have showered upon me, and despite my feeble offerings You relentlessly love me and forgive my debts.)

Lead us not into temptation (Don’t let me be tested beyond what I can bear…I acknowledge God is more powerful than Satan, that He has control over Satan, that He could cast him from the earth as He cast him out of heaven, He has the ability to control the amount the devil tempts me, and He allows Satan to sift the wicked like wheat. Please LORD do not allow me to face testing beyond what is ultimately beneficial for my growth in sanctification – 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Luke 22:31)

Deliver us from evil (Keep me far from the Evil One, and when he does reach out his hand to me and I draw close to Him, take me from his presence.  Preserve me.  God controls the access that Satan has to each of us – Job 1:12)

For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.  (This is an acknowledgement that God is the sovereign, infallible, almighty, holy ruler over all creation -Heaven and Earth – from before time began and for all eternity.  God created us, we did not create God.  The creation does not question or dictate to the creator. The creation does not put the creator on trial and judge His Word, His plan, or His actions.  I recgonize that all the glory in everything good I do is His, and I recognize that apart from the LORD no one is capable of doing anything truly good or righteous.)

In Jesus Christ’s name  ^– Jesus said: “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”  (This does not mean that if we throw this tag line on the end of our prayers that they will be answered.  This means that the things we pray for in Jesus’ name, meaning, the things we pray for that are for Jesus’ cause, or for Jesus’ purpose, for the furthering of His kingdom, and furthering of His name…those prayers shall be answered.  All of our prayers should be in Jesus name, meaning, everything we ask for should be for the purpose of glorifying Christ’s name and advancing His kingdom. The desire of the heart of one who is a living sacrifice for Christ, is to serve, and glorify the Lord, and to see God’s will fulfilled. If the desire of our prayers is to see the LORD’s will fulfilled, we will see our prayers answered 100% of the time. And finally, we are to pray directly to the Father, and no one else, in Jesus’ name. Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:5 “…there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” There is no need for any other mediator.)

Amen (Truly…So be it.)