James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
The power behind the believer in Jesus Christ is their personal prayer life. Whatever difficulties or triumphs that may come along, the degree of devotion to daily prayer will determine the outcome.
When we examine the life of Jesus Christ, we see Him often leaving the crowds of people and even His own disciples, to find a quiet place to be alone with the Father. It was this intimate communion with the Father that sustained Jesus and provided the power He needed to overcome all the obstacles on His journey to the cross.
If a believer feels weak and powerless, it is for certain that the cause is a lack of daily prayer.
The purpose of prayer is not to change or persuade God, but to change and persuade us. Long before we begin to utter our first word in prayer, the Lord is already aware of exactly what our needs are at that time:
Matthew 6:8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.“
Matthew chapter 8 is often referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer”, but this is not correct. The Lord’s prayer is found in John chapter 17. Matthew 8 is the format for “The Disciples Prayer”. In these five verses, Jesus demonstrates the way that a person who is following Him should pray, not the exact words that should be used:
Matthew 6:9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
In this manner, or in other words, this is how you should pray: First, addressing the Father with our needs. In order to receive anything from God, a person must believe that He is God and has the power to provide the needs of the one praying.
Second, an Acknowledgement that God is Holy. Everything that God does and is, originates from His Holiness. He is always good and everything that He does is good. He has no evil intention towards anyone, and all of His works are just, righteous, merciful, and gracious. If a person does not believe that God is good and that all His responses to us as we pray come from His desire to bless our lives, that person will not receive anything from the Lord.
Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
Third: A declaration that your desire is to see God’s kingdom come to the earth so that He receives the same glory, honor and praise from all those on the earth, that He already receives from all those in heaven.
Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.
Fourth: an expression of your needs for today. By the bringing of your needs and the acknowledgment that God can supply those needs, this pleases Him. Even though He already knows what you need before you ask, your coming to Him is both pleasing and expresses publicly your faith that He can and will supply your needs. A secondary purpose of expressing your needs to the Father every day is that it brings your heart into alignment with the heart of the Father for your life. By praying and telling the Father your needs, you are reinforcing your own heart and mind to a place of trust, allowing you to have peace in the concerns of your life.
Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
Forgiveness for what people have done to you is a foundational principle in your walk with Jesus. Without letting go of your hurt, bitterness and pain that others have caused you, there will never be any forward movement in your spiritual growth. Sometimes this forgiveness must be renewed every day just to keep you in the place of forgiveness towards a particular person who has deeply hurt you. Also an acknowledgment that you need the forgiveness of God every single second of every day. Just because we are in a relationship with God now through Jesus Christ, does not mean we will not sin. Everyday we sin against God and break His law. We need the internal cleansing of our heart, mind, and body from the sins we commit. If we confess our sins, He will forgive us and cleanse us of the guilt and shame so that we can continue on unhindered in our relationship with God.
Matthew 6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Temptation is all around us and the power to avoid giving into those things that bring us into sin comes only from advanced preparation in prayer. This format for prayer with the inclusion of a request to be led away from temptation, is a daily and constant prayer. If you think you are strong enough to resist temptation, you are a fool. In fact the Bible states that the one who believes he can stand in the presence of temptation is sure to fall.
To be delivered from the evil one is to request a hedge of protection around your life so that the enemy cannot bring you into sin or doubt. Without God’s protection from satan, we are all open and vulnerable to his attacks and lies. The surest way to be delivered from the lies and deception of the enemy is to daily be in the Word of God.
The final statement in our daily prayer is to acknowledge that God’s kingdom is the only true power and His glory is our only true goal. Notice that we are not stating any of these facts to remind God, but to remind ourselves of what is true. Prayer that recites the promises and provisions of God keeps us in a place of faith and aligns us with the will of God.
Finally, as we practice this kind of effective, fervent prayer every morning before we start our day, we have the assurance that the consistent practice of fervent prayer will avail us much. As we walk with Jesus on this new day, may we continue in the practice of fervent prayer, made effective by using the format Jesus laid out for us.
Rob Robinson
