How to Pray

"Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray........to be seen......they have their reward! But when you pray go into your private room and shut the door, and pray to your Father who sees in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. When you pray, don't babble like the idolaters, since they imagine they'll be heard for their many words. Don't be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask Him. Matthew 6:5-8

There is so much packed into these verses. However underlying is a call to relationship with a loving God.

When we practice a form of religion we babble, we spruik, we carry our beads etc. I have been in this place. Yes it gives you something to do but you are outside the door, like a group picketing but never daring to enter in.

I remember the first pray prayed in a spirit of relationship, it was when I invited Jesus into me heart. Oh the joy! I had longed for a relationship and now I finally had it.

My God invites me to more along the way and He is inviting me to more now. I want to know what Jesus knew, I want to see people healed and delivered like He did. That requires more.

Jesus then went on to teach us how to pray. "Therefore you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, your name be honoured as holy, 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 have also forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen!"

Jesus gave a pattern on how to pray not a prayer for the lazy mind itself. I grew up in a world of repetition of that pray and did not know the reality of it.

My Father You are not here but I love you as if you were. I honour Your name and live right because I bear Your name. I love your ways so much I want to replicate them here in my world. Lord I ask for all I need today and ask especially that you forgive me if I have hurt You with my behaviour and I will give the grace You give me to others for what they have done to me. Lord protect me from the tempter, he knows my weakness, please protect me and keep me safe from his clutches. I know you can do this because you as so great, so powerful, so glorious and always will be. I will love you forever. Amen!

The Lord's prayer is full of love for a Father Jesus knew personally, it is about relationship. He wants to know me intimately and wants me to know Him likewise. What love is this?

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