Matthew 6:8-13
..., for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."
In verse 8 Jesus says these words that should not be overlooked when praying the Lord's Prayer, "your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.". To me, this is the key to this prayer; knowing and believing that God, our heavenly Father "knows what we need before we ask Him". It's the power that Jesus has given us to pray "like this". To "know", to be absolutely certain and sure that our heavenly Father is absolutely certain and sure about what we need BEFORE we say a word and make or request(s) known to Him is a powerful thing. He wanted them, needed them to know that their heavenly Father, our heavenly Father was and is OMNISCIENT. Our Father has infinite awareness, understanding, and insight. He is all-knowing.
So the "wordy" prayers of the Gentiles weren't necessary because God already knows. God, our heavenly Father, the Omniscient One really doesn't need to be briefed on what we need according to Jesus, the Son of God, the one who was sent from God, the one who was with God in the beginning; the Word. He said that He already knows. All that He needs is for us to see Him and accept Him as He Is; OMNISCIENT.
The question is do we believe this or have we been praying like the Gentiles, turning to and relying on our "wordy" prayers?
My God-given Assignment...
A few years ago the Lord instructed me to pray this prayer for 7 days straight without saying anything else. I thought to myself that that was a strange thing to do. I thought that I had too much to lose if I did just that. I would leave for work and say a prayer in the car for my wife and kids who were at home. I thought about them walking down the street to the local park that from time to time would be a hangout spot for the local gang, I thought that I had to cover them in a prayer of peace and protection. That didn't seem right. I thought about the time that I had to spend on campus at a few of the high schools running a mentoring program and not praying for maximum impact with the youth that I would interact with. This also didn't seem right. I had a lot on my plate and I thought that I couldn't do them well without the comfort of prayer but the Lord simply said, "Do you believe that I know what you need before you ask Me?".
As I drove away from our home I said I do and He said then pray "like this"...
“My Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give me this day my daily bread, and forgive me of my debts, as I also have forgiven my debtors. And I thank You that You lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil.
For Yours is The Kingdom.
For Yours is The Power.
And Yours is The Glory.
Forever and ever.
In Jesus' name.
Amen."
So I began my 7 days of just praying like that. I did so confidently because in about a day's time I had come to the knowledge and belief that He truly knew what I needed as a husband, as a father, and I as a program coordinator on my job. He knew everything that was on my heart and on my mind because He was and still is OMNISCIENT; He has complete and unlimited knowledge, awareness, and understanding, and throughout those 7 days(and continuously) He provided all that I needed and gave me the desires of my heart. 5 days in He then directed me to begin to pray in the spirit as I finished the above prayer again with the understanding that He knew what I needed and that He would fill what I couldn't think or imagine to ask Him. Needless to say, it was an awesome week of prayer. It was an awesome week for my wife and kids as they did what their hearts desired in and out of the house. It was awesome at all of my mentoring program sites. It was an awesome week of watching God work.
This is how Jesus wants His disciples to pray.
This is how Jesus wants His disciples to think and believe.
This is how Jesus wants us His disciples to trust in our heavenly Father.
Jesus, the Son of God doesn't want us to abandon this prayer because we have thought it's an elementary type of prayer. He wants us to pray "like this" because He knows that it is packed with power and it is packed with promises and it is packed with the plans that God has for His children. And once you begin to pray "like this" every other prayer will be packed with God's best as well.
What more could you really "ask" for?
Be blessed. Be one with God.
#HearAndDoTheWord #SpiritOfExcellence #EsOfExcellence #Discipleship #SOEDCampaign #TheSermonOnTheMount #TheLordsPrayer #OurOmniscientFather
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