For this day in Lent, think about these words of Jesus…
When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do.
They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and
again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even
before you ask him! Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in
heaven.
Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have
forgiven those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but
rescue us from the evil one.
If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will
forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive
your sins. Matthew 6:7-15
When you pray…not IF you pray! Be concise
and with specific intention. Don’t just babble on about nothing…or repeat the
same words over and over which are useless words that don’t reach or impress
God. He knows you and what you need before you ask. This was part of Jesus’
Sermon on the Mount. He had such wisdom to instruct His followers about prayer.
Later on in His ministry His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, as
recorded in Luke 11. The prayer is very similar to this one recorded in Matthew
Six. We have this as a format—but I think we just need to pray from our hearts.
Prayer is such an important part of our
relationship with God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It allows us to directly
communicate with our creator, our Savior and our Helper or Advocate. Do you
ever pray just to the Holy Spirit? He is there for you—and gives you the words
to say, even when you just don’t know what to say.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our
weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the
Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. Romans
8:26
I am continually amazed at the Holy Spirit.
He is always there for me…reminding me of scripture, providing answers to
questions and encouraging me on the right thing to do. We have a prayer to the
Father…but not specifically to the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and pray. He is
listening. Just don’t babble on. Be concise and specific.
Prayer
~ Jesus, You told your disciples…"But now I am going away to the one who
sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve
because of what I've told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away,
because if I don't, the Advocate won't come. If I do go away, then I will send
him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of
God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world's sin is that it
refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the
Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of
this world has already been judged." John 16:5-11 NLT. Come quickly, Jesus. Reveal
Yourself to those whom You have chosen—convicting them of their sin…and
rewarding them with eternal life.
©
2020 Text and photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
Unless
otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House
Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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