Blessed Assurance
Purpose of prayer
Matthew 6:9-13 ('The Lord's Prayer')
For too many people the disciples' prayer or 'Lord's Prayer', as is commonly known, is simply something they have recited for years. Yet in this tremendous portion of Scripture we face unequaled instruction regarding one of the most vital subjects in all of Christian life, Prayer.
We need to learn to pray to experience the fullness of communion with God, to open the floodgates of heaven. Apostle Paul said, 1st Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing" Martin Loyd Jones said, "Man is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face to face with God."
Jesus was challenging the religion of His day, in a way He was saying that the Jews Giving, Fasting and Praying were substandard. Are we not the same today? There is plenty of giving going on for self-glory, plenty of fasting to call attention to our supposed holiness and plenty of praying that is a pretense that does not recognize the basic biblical standards for true prayer.
I believe prayer is one of the two ultimate tests of true spirituality. The other is the study of the Word of God. Those are the avenues of spiritual communion between a believer and His Lord. The study of the Word comes first because we will not even know how to pray unless we knew about God. Studying God's Word gives birth to a meaningful prayer life. Matthew 6:9 'After this manner pray ye.' He spoke out of personal involvement. A King's manifesto. It set for all time the understanding that prayer is vital to a Kingdom citizen.
Psalm 145:18 "The Lord is near unto all them that call upon Him" The Word of God makes it clear that God wants to hear our heart's cry.
Our prayer should contain certain elements: Loving Praise; Gratitude and Thanksgiving; A sense of Awe, a sense of reverence for God's Holiness; A patient desire to obey God; Confession of Sin; Unselfishness; (Sometimes we have to sacrifice what seems best for ourselves because God has a greater plan for the whole. No singular pronouns in the 'Lord's Prayer') Perseverance; and Humility. Prayer is not asking God to do my will. It is bringing myself in conformity with His will. It is asking Him to do His will and to give me the grace to enjoy it.
'Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done' DEAL WITH GOD'S GLORY, 'Give us our daily bread, forgive us our debts, lead us not into temptation' DEAL WITH MAN'S NEED.
When you pray, you set God in His rightful place and everything else flows from there. All prayer is to begin with the character of God. When God is first, Prayer makes sense.