The spiritual habit of prayer

At LifeWay we elevate prayer as a hallmark of a maturing Christian’s life. God commands in scripture that Christians pray for a host of reasons including:

1. 1 Thessalonians 5:16 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing”
2. Philippians 4:6 “Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
3. James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another”

It is clear that scripture indicates that prayer is about so much more than simply asking God for what you need. Rather it is a consistent communication path with God available to us all at any time.

Matthew 6:9-13 is the most famous prayer of all when Jesus himself commands us to pray:

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

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

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen”

This is Jesus’ direct endorsement of a prayer format and can inform us of several parts of prayer life that we may or may not be fully utilizing. This does not mean it’s the exact prayer we should pray (although not a bad idea) but can inform us of areas of our prayer life that we should be focusing on:

1. Praise
   1. Acknowledging the greatness of God and His true grandeur
      1. “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.”
2. Thanksgiving/Intercession
   1. Humbly recognizing God as the true provider and giver of all things. Requesting his intercession for ourselves and others for our needs.
      1. “Give us this day our daily bread.”
3. Repentance
   1. Recognizing our need of forgiveness
      1. “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
4. Protection
   1. Asking God to provide for all our needs as our loving Father
      1. “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:”
5. Praise
   1. Acknowledging the greatness of God and his true grandeur
      1. “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen”

Prayer is a powerful tool in the mature believer’s hands. There is no better way to hear God speak into our lives, and when paired with scripture, it is the key to providing the personal relationship with our Savior that leads to peace that transcends all understanding (See Philippians 4:6-7 above).