Lord, Teach Us To Pray

Prayer - Part 21

Have you ever finished your prayer time and felt it was absolutely useless?

Feeling of self-importance
Feeling of guilt
Feeling of despair
Feeling like you want to quit praying

Did Jesus know we would have these times? "Pray, then, in this way…" Matthew 6:9a

Remember: "the Lord’s prayer" is an "index prayer.

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Now we know how to pray.

Recite one sentence of this prayer at a time
Realize what point or topic it covers
Talk to the Father about anything that falls under that particular part of the "index"
Move on to the next point

G. Campbell Morgan: "To pray that prayer intelligently is to have nothing else to pray for. It may be broken up, each petition may be taken separately and expresses in other ways, but in itself, it is exclusive and exhaustive."

Young Christian to mature Christian à the process WORKS and is pleasing to God.

Is this process constant? Will it expand to cover more topics, more thoroughly? Will it become easier to pray longer, better? Will your knowledge of Him grow?

Now, how about intercession?

Mark every personal pronoun: I, me, my, mine (square), then mark the plural personal pronouns we, our and mark every use of us.

Matt 6:9 "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.

10 'Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

11 'Give us this day our daily bread.

12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.]'

Praying "in this way" includes the body of Christ. Intercession

How about praying for the "lost" – "Thy Kingdom come" (John 10,17)

2Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

2Pet 3:12 Praying for His Kingdom to come is "hastening the coming of the day of the Lord"

"Our Father…" à "Father, I want to pray for ___________ because he/she cannot call you Father…then take it from there…leaders, president, justices…you are on your way!