John Mulligan gave another lesson in his series on prayer: “What Do You Say When You Pray? A closer look at the Lord’s Prayer and ours”. The Lord’s Prayer is always a good foundation if you don’t know how to start your prayer. One thing to remember is not to be too loose, too casual. If you were going into your boss’s office for a conversation, you probably wouldn’t “wing it”. You want to have an idea beforehand of what your prayer will hold.
The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4) gives us five important foundations to use when praying our own prayers.
(1) A reverence for God (hallowed be thy name). Go to Him with honor.
(2) Respect for God’s will. God is our King and we agree to His rule. We acknowledge that His will is best for us.
(3) Request for daily necessities (our daily bread). Let’s not get complacent about what we have. Be appreciative about the necessities we do have.
(4) Request for forgiveness. An easy one to overlook, if we get too confident in our own piety. Don’t forget the second part about forgiving our debtors. Remember, we are indebted to God, but He doesn’t make us pay HIm back.
(5) Request for protection. Deliver us from the Evil One. God will provide the way to escape temptation.
If we remember these 5 foundational points, our personal prayers just can’t go wrong.
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