Pray then like this: (how to pray with the Lord’s Prayer)(Mt 6:9-13)
Pray then like this: (how to pray with the Lord’s Prayer)(Mt 6:9-13)
Are you praying every day according to the prayer the Lord taught us?
Some saints think that the Lord’s Prayer has a mystical power, so there are people who use the Lord’s Prayer like an incantation. In some cases, the Lord’s Prayer is used at the end of meetings. However, the Lord clearly taught us how to pray in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew. While talking about prayer, He said, ‘Pray like this.’ Nevertheless, it seems that there are not many people who pray according to how the Lord taught us. In what ways do you pray deeply during your personal prayer time? When you pray according to the Lord’s Prayer, you will know how powerful the Lord’s Prayer is. Today I would like to explain specifically how to pray this Lord’s Prayer.
First, the Lord’s Prayer is composed of very simple Greek words, but it has a very deep meaning and covers a very important topic. The main themes of the Lord’s Prayer are God’s name, God’s kingdom, God’s will, daily bread, human relationships (forgiveness), and spiritual warfare. Each subject is so important that you have to study for a semester at a seminary for each of them.
Second, the target of the Sermon on the Mount was the disciples. In other words, we can see that this Lord’s Prayer is a high-level prayer that disciples can do.
Third, we learn the priority of prayer. The first thing to pray is a prayer related to God, and then a prayer about ourselves. In this way, the Lord’s Prayer teaches us the priority of prayer.
Who are you praying to? Since your prayers are to God, you can technically pray to the Son Jesus or to the Holy Spirit. But Jesus himself prayed to God the Father, and the Lord teaches us to pray to the Father. Therefore, please pray to God the Father. Prayer can be done with the help of the Holy Spirit. Also, to pray is to rely on the name of Jesus. Jesus has promised many times that we will receive answers when we pray in His name. In order for us, sinners, to come to the Holy Father, we need Jesus, the mediator, from the beginning to the end of our prayers. So, after praying, end with saying ‘I pray in the name of Jesus’. The object of prayer is God the Father in heaven. But what kind of God is that God? He is the Father in heaven. The meaning of being in heaven shows that He is a transcendent and almighty God who is fundamentally different from us humans. We are praying to the great and almighty God who knows our circumstances, pains and needs, and is able to answer.
Let’s look at how to pray in detail from now on.
The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray in relation to God and to pray for ourselves.
There are three main types of prayer related to God. It is the name of God, the kingdom of God, and the will of God.
In other words, the prayer ‘Hallowed be thy name’ means to glorify God Himself and praise His holiness. When you first start praying, the important thing is not to focus on your own problems, but first open your eyes to the Holy God. Look at him. Thinking of his character and what he has done, please pray first to give glory and praise to Him.
In what way does God want us to sanctify His name? How can His name be set apart or made holy?
A good way to praise God is to praise Him for the blessings we have received through Jesus. There are various redemptive names for God in the Old Testament. And that redemptive name of God has been fulfilled in us through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. What blessings and benefits are you enjoying through the death and resurrection of Jesus? Please give thanks and praise to God for all the blessings and graces you enjoy through Jesus.
– Jehovah Tshikenu (Jeremiah 23:6) Jehovah is our righteousness. Because of Jesus, we have been justified.
Jehovah Mekadesh (Leviticus 22:32). Jehovah is a God of holiness. Because of Jesus, we have been made holy.
Jehovah Shalom (Judges 6:24) God is the God of peace. Because of Jesus, we can enjoy peace.
Jehovah Shammah (Ezekiel 48:35). God who is there. Jesus is Immanuel God who is always with us.
Jehovah Rapha (Exodus 15:26). Jehovah who heals. Because Jesus was whipped, we are healed.
Jehovah Jireh (Genesis 22:14). It will be prepared in the mountain of the LORD. Jesus fills and supplies our needs.
Jehovah Nissi (Exodus 17:15). God is my flag (Victory). Jesus overcame sin and death on the cross and gave us victory.
Jehovah Roi (Psalm 23:1). God is my shepherd. Jesus is our good shepherd.
When you start praying, don’t focus on your problems, but offer praise and worship to God first. Especially because of Jesus, I became righteous, I can enjoy peace, victory, and can enjoy the blessing of Immanuel. Praise God in your prayers!
Kingdom of God (Thy kingdom come): ‘Thy kingdom come’
The second prayer content to pray in relation to God is ‘Thy kingdom come’.
It is to pray for the kingdom of God to come.
The kingdom of God is the most important theme in the entire Bible. What is the kingdom of God? The kingdom of God does not only mean the place where saints die and go, but it refers to all areas (spheres) where God rules as king. If God rules in my heart as a king, the kingdom of God will come in my heart. When God governs my family with His Word, the kingdom of God will come into the family. The kingdom of God is not a concept of a place, but a concept of rule and reign.
The kingdom of God can be experienced here and now. If God rules in my heart as the King, I will be able to enjoy the righteousness of joy and peace through the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, if we cast out demons with the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has already come among us. Also, the kingdom of God is completed when Jesus returns to this earth. The kingdom of God also has a character that will be perfected in the future.
How can we specifically pray for the kingdom of God to come?
First of all, please pray for God’s whole reign. By praying for God to rule my heart with the Word as King, the kingdom of God will come in my heart. This can be said to be the same prayer as praying for the filling of the Holy Spirit and the Word. Please deal with all the strongholds and negative emotions that hinder God from ruling within you as King, and with faith proclaim in your prayers that Jesus is King, so that you can receive God’s complete rule and reign.
Pray that all negative emotions and darkness will leave and that you will be filled with full healing, freedom, and the presence of the Lord through the whole reign of God who is love and light.
Also, prayer for the coming of the kingdom of God is prayer for missions and evangelism. Since unbelievers do not acknowledge God as their king, the kingdom of God cannot be among them. So, praying for their salvation so that they can accept God as their Lord is a prayer for the kingdom of God to come. Please pray for the salvation of your family and friends. Furthermore, a way to pray for God’s kingdom to come is to pray for the second coming of Jesus. The Second Coming of Jesus will ultimately complete the kingdom of God.
Luke 21:34-36 Luk 21:34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
Luk 21:35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luk 21:36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Thirdly, prayer for God is a prayer that “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
There is God’s will for the day that He has allowed for each of us. There is a will that God wants to achieve today. And there is God’s will for everyone. In the Bible, the fundamental will of God for all people and history is revealed. What is that? It is for all people to believe in the Son Jesus and receive eternal life and be saved.
(John 6:40) This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life.
I will raise it up on the last day.
Salvation is not only being born again as a child of God, but also being transformed into the image of Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 4:3) For this is the will of God, your sanctification: abstain from fornication.
Therefore, please pray every day for God’s will to be done.
Please discern the will of God that He wants to accomplish in every single day, and pray that His will come to pass. Please pray for God’s will to be fulfilled for your children, for your family, and for your work.
Pray for God’s name like this, and pray for God’s kingdom and God’s will first and foremost. In particular, please pray specifically for the kingdom and will of God as follows. Please pray for the kingdom of God to come not only for yourself, but also for your family, church, nation, and all nations, and for God’s will to be done. For example, first pray for God’s rule to fully come into your life. Also, please pray for the salvation, reign, and God’s will to pass in the family, including for your parents, spouses, children, and brothers and sisters. Also, please pray for the kingdom of God and for God’s will to be fulfilled in relation to the church’s leaders, saints, ministries, and furthermore, for the country.
In my case, if I pray this far, I will experience that a lot of time goes by for more than an hour.
The next thing to pray for is a prayer for ourselves.
It is a prayer for daily bread, human relationships, and spiritual warfare.
“Give us this day our daily bread”
This prayer is not simply to pray for daily bread. You need a job to eat bread, and you need to study to get a job. The Lord says to pray for all our needs. Jesus spoke of the priority of prayer in Matthew 6.
Mat 6:31 So do not worry and say, What to eat or what to drink or what to wear.
Mat 6:32 All this is sought by the Gentiles, and your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Mat 6:33 Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Do not worry about our needs, but if we first seek God’s kingdom and righteousness, He promised to provide us with food, drink, and clothing.
When we pray for my own material needs
1) Pray within the will of God.
Malachi 3:8-10 Can a man rob God, but ye are mine?
and stealing, and saying, How have we robbed the Lord? This is tithes and offerings. You are cursed because you, the whole nation, have robbed me. Says the LORD Almighty: Bring your whole tithe into the storehouse, so that I may have food in my house, and test me with it, and I will open the windows of heaven and bless you. See if it is not poured out so that there is no place for it to be piled up.
God wants us to express faith in God through tithe offerings to Him, who is the sovereign of all material things.
2) Pray specifically.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication
With thanksgiving tell God yourselves, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Do not pray vaguely, but ask God for your needs specifically with your words.
3) Pray persistently.
The Lord said to always pray and to not lose heart. If you hold on to the word of promise, do not lose heart, and pray unceasingly, you will surely receive answers as promised.
Please tell God your needs.
The second prayer for us is a prayer for forgiveness.
“and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”.
Not only should we pray for our daily bread for our bodies, but we should also pray for the health of our souls.
One of the most precious things in our lives is relationships. For healthy, loving relationships, the Lord wants us to forgive those who have hurt you daily.
Let’s read what the Lord said after the Lord’s Prayer.
Matthew 6:14 If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will forgive you their trespasses. 15 If you do not forgive men their trespasses, your Father will not forgive you yours
“Just as we forgive those who sin against us” tells us that there is an inseparable connection between God’s forgiveness of our sins (the vertical dimension of forgiveness) and our forgiveness of our neighbor’s sins (the horizontal dimension of forgiveness).
However, this prayer is not a prayer asking for forgiveness of our sins by forgiving our brothers. This prayer teaches us the attitude that an already forgiven person should have before God when he seeks forgiveness before Him. Since we have been saved by grace, it is only then possible by God’s grace to forgive those who have hurt us. It means to pray for forgiveness for those who have hurt you.
Why do we need to forgive? If we do not forgive those who have caused pain and suffering to us, the forces of darkness work in our lives due to the unforgivable sin. If I do not forgive my brother, I will hurt myself and bind myself spiritually. So God wants me to forgive to benefit myself as well. A powerful weapon the devil uses is an unforgiving heart.
Therefore, just as daily bread is essential for our bodies, forgiving and maintaining good relationships are essential for the health of our souls.
What is Forgiveness? “My dear friends, do not take revenge yourself, but leave room for wrath, for it is written, “It is with me to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Forgiveness means that you have the right to take revenge, but trust that God will take revenge and leave it to Him. If I entrust my desire for vengeance to God, we will be free from this problem.
“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors”.
Therefore, first of all, we who have been forgiven because of the cross must pray to forgive and bless the person who has hurt us with the love and grace of that same forgiveness shown towards us. The prayer of forgiveness is a prayer to heal oneself, a prayer to be set free, and a prayer to cast out demons.
First of all thank God for forgiving a sinner like me. And bless that soul with that forgiven love and pray to declare that forgiveness.
The final prayer for ourselves is a prayer about trials and spiritual warfare.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”
Dear believers, do you know that we are living in a fierce spiritual war every day? So we must pray not to fall into temptation, and we must pray to be saved from the forces of evil and the evil devil.
Always remember that the object of our spiritual battle is not blood, flesh, or people, and I hope that you do not hate or fight with people. The fiercest spiritual battlefield is the mind, heart, and lips. Fill your mind, heart, and lips with God’s word of truth and God’s love. Above all, maintain a humble mind and attitude controlled by the Holy Spirit. In order to overcome the devil, you must live with the spirit of opposition to the devil. We must be humble in order to overcome the arrogant devil. We must be honest in order to overcome the devil, the father of lies. To overcome the devil who judges and condemns, we must forgive and tolerate. If you love, forgive, and bless, you will win the spiritual war.
A very good way to pray for victory over the forces of evil without entering into temptation is to pray by putting on the full armor of God in Ephesians 6. Before starting our lives, which are the spiritual battlefield, we can arm ourselves with the full armor of prayer.
Do you remember the content of the full armor in Ephesians 6? From the top, they are the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, the sword of the Spirit, the shield of faith, the shoes of the gospel, and the vigilant prayer.
Before starting the day, pray to put on the full armor in order to be saved from evil and not fall into temptation as the Lord’s Prayer.
God, thank you for restoring me as a precious child through faith in the precious blood of Jesus. Put on the helmet of salvation like this. God, thank you for declaring me righteous and forgiving me as much as I believe in the blood of Jesus. With this prayer, take up the breastplate of righteousness by faith. God, let us be armed with the truth today. Let us block the attacks of the devil with the living word of rhema. Let the shield of the word of truth block the fiery darts of doubt, discouragement, and fear from the devil. Let us put on the shoes of the gospel and preach the love of Jesus with power. Wake up in the Holy Spirit and live as a person who prays. You can pray in this way and put on the full armor of God.
Please finish your prayer with a prayer for spiritual warfare before going out to the spiritual battleground, the ground of life.
Arm yourself with the full armor of God in prayer. I hope you will be victorious every day through the prayer of spiritual warfare taught by the Lord.
At the end of the prayer, we can conclude the prayer with thanksgiving and praise by praying, “Your kingdom and power and glory are forever.”
Dear saints, we have looked at the Lord’s Prayer as taught by the Lord. Do you pray every day according to the amazing Lord’s Prayer that Jesus, the God, taught for us? Listen to today’s words over and over again. And, as the Lord taught us to pray, first pray for God’s name, kingdom, and will, and then pray every day for our daily bread, forgiveness, and spiritual warfare. At that time, you will know that the Lord has taught you how to pray with power and authority, and you will live victoriously as a person of powerful prayer. I will conclude the sermon by having us think about the meaning of the Lord’s Prayer, closing our eyes, and praying the Lord’s Prayer together.