Daily Challenge 3/10: MODELING CHRIST IN OUR PRAYER ___________________________________________ Yesterday at Church was a very important topic we can never forget as Christians. Prayer is something we continually train ourselves. Honestly, heart-felt prayer is hard. For many people prayer seems simple, but true prayer and intercession is one of the hardest things we can go through as it test our pride, our humility, our perseverance, and our devotion. What we pray for should always be a reflection of who we are praying for. Our offering of prayer is our conversation with God- whether that look like us coming to God broken, coming to God confused, or coming to God joyful- prayer should always be our heart before Gods heart. Prayer can be our asking of God to provide. Prayer can be asking God to heal. Pray can be praising God. Prayer can be offering your entire life up to God in an act of daily renewal. Jesus, in His model prayer certainly shows us all of these things. But as we take a look into it, notice the one thing that makes Jesuss prayer different from many of prayers we see today: Matthew 6:9-13 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your 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 forgive our debtors. 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. Jesus instructs us that we can come to God broken (v.12-13), we CAN come to God reminding Him of His promises and asking Him to provide (v.11), we CAN and should come to God giving Him praise (v.9), but what other than praise is distinct in this prayer that gives God all the glory and focuses all glory away from us? Verse 10-11 tell us that we CAN and need to focus our prayer life on praying for Gods Kingdom to come, and for HIS will to be done. Our prayer life needs to consists of our brokenness, our praise, and our need, but if we have to always remember to take ahold of the power God has given us and declare Your Kingdom come...we must constantly and fervently pray the will of God. If praying the Will of God is not saturating and permeating every aspect of our prayer life- though every thing else is powerful and effective (James 5:16)- we are still not fully praying as Christ would pray. Prayer is powerful. Worship is powerful. Declaring Gods greatness- HIS power- HIS Kingdom- and HIS WILL- is what should sum up our everything. Our prayer life has to be wrapped around the fervent prayer of declaring and interceding for the Will of God to be done, in our lives, in our country, in the Church, and in our world. This world will be forever changed if the Body of Christ desires and consistently prays the will of God to be done...Just look at Jesus- He was one man praying and living for the Will of God. IF we follow His example the world Will be changed for the Glory of God the Father. Let this be our prayer: Father, Your Kingdom come! YOUR will be done! On earth as it is in heaven! I challenge you today to let that declaration of Gods glory and Gods Kingdom come to earth, and His will be done in all the nations... Yours O Lord is the glory forever and ever! Amen! __________________________________________ Extra Reading: Matthew 6:1-14 ; Revelation 4:8-11 __________________________________________
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 16:55:46 +0000
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