Today’s Focus: The Lord’s Prayer (taken from Pray First prayer journal)
The Lord’s Prayer is often recited in churches or at religious events, but there’s so much more to this prayer. Jesus provided this model as an outline to teach us how to pray in a way that connects us to God, aligns our priorities with His,
and helps us live dependently on Him. This model takes us through each part of The Lord’s Prayer, showing us how to pray the way Jesus instructed.
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place.
When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him,
“Lord, teach us to pray…”
LUKE 11:1
“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 forgive our debtors. 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.”
MATTHEW 6:9-13 NKJV
01. CONNECT WITH GOD RELATIONALLY
“Our Father in Heaven” God isn’t interested in us practicing religion; instead,
He desires a relationship with us. God has adopted us as His children and loves for us to call Him our Father. Starting our prayer time acknowledging
our relationship with God is powerful for us and delights Him as well.
You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” ROMANS 8:15 NLT
Proclaim your intimate relationship with God, addressing Him lovingly as your Father and thanking Him that you are His child.
PRAYER:
“Father, I come to You in prayer today thankful that I am Your child. I know I am a sinner, but You have forgiven me and adopted me as Your own, and I am so grateful to call You my Father. Thank You for loving me. I love You.”
02. WORSHIP HIS NAME
“Hallowed be Your name”
God loves when we worship Him, and there is power in His name. Here is a list of some of His names to help us worship Him specifically and personally:
God is Righteousness – He makes us clean
God is Sanctifier – He has called us and set us apart
God is Healer – He heals all our diseases
God is Banner of Victory – He defeated our enemies
God is Shepherd – He speaks to us and leads us
God is Peace – He is our peace in every storm
God is Provider – He supplies all of our needs
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. PROVERBS 18:10 ESV
Speak God’s names out loud. When we proclaim who He is, we not only worship Him, but we also remind ourselves how powerful and great our God is.
PRAYER:
“God, I am in awe of You. Your name is a strong tower, a place of protection and safety for me. I praise You as my Healer, my Shepherd, and my Banner of Victory. You are my Peace, my Provider, my Righteousness, and my
Sanctifier. Your name is great, and I worship You.”
03. PRAY HIS AGENDA FIRST
“Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”
Part of being a child of God is caring about what He cares about and loving who He loves. We know His will is perfect, and we acknowledge His wisdom and
sovereignty when we pray His agenda first.
He will always give you all you need from day to day if you will make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. LUKE 12:31 TLB
Spend time focusing on what God is focused on.
His priorities include:
• Saving the lost
• Wisdom and guidance for those in authority—
parental, spiritual, governmental, work-related
• Caring for the poor and marginalized
• Unity and love
• Justice
• Freedom for those in bondage
• Accomplishing His purpose in our lives
PRAYER:
“God, I recognize there is no better plan on earth than Yours, and I pray for Your will to be done in our world and in my life (name the areas of your life where you
need more of God’s presence today). This world is lost and needs You desperately, and I pray for every person to know You as their personal Lord and Savior. I pray for the leaders in my life (pray specifically over parents, spiritual
leaders, governmental leaders, employers, and any other leaders in your life), that You would show them Your will and give them supernatural wisdom and discernment as they lead. God, I pray that Your heart for justice and
unity would be seen in our world; that those who are in bondage will be set free; that the needs of the poor and marginalized will be met. Show me what my role is in seeing the realities of heaven come to earth. Make Your priorities my priorities. Help me love who You love and see value in all people. I give my life to You again today; have Your way in me. Please give me wisdom and clarity
as You show me my next steps.”
04. DEPEND ON HIM FOR EVERYTHING
“Give us this day our daily bread”
God promises to supply all our needs, and He wants us to come to Him with our problems, needs, and desires and to trust Him to provide.
I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! PSALM 121:1-2 NLT
Ask God for what you need today. It may help to write down the concerns weighing on your mind or the desires of your heart. Bring them to God, and trust Him enough to hand them over to Him fully. It may help to open your hands before God to physically show your surrender to Him. Problems can either be ours or God’s; they can’t be both.
PRAYER:
“Father, I acknowledge that everything I need today will come from You. You made the heavens and the earth; You are more than capable of handling any situation I’m dealing with, so I give it to You completely (specifically
talk to God about what is on your mind and heart right now and give it to Him). I look to You to help me, sustain me, and give me Your peace. Remind me of Your hope and power today. Thank You in advance for taking care of my needs.”
05. FORGIVE AND BE FORGIVEN
“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”
God has offered us complete forgiveness, and we can receive it at any time. When we turn away from our sins and receive His forgiveness, our hearts are more prepared to forgive others as well.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 JOHN 1:9
Ask God to check your heart and life and show you areas where you might need to ask for forgiveness from Him. Then, it is your turn to forgive those who have offended you. We can even choose to forgive people in advance. Ask God to forgive you and to help you forgive others.
PRAYER:
“God, thank You so much for offering me the gift of forgiveness. Show me any areas in my life that I need to bring before You in order to receive forgiveness and healing. I confess that I have been struggling with sin (talk to God about any areas of sin in your life), and I know that You want me to be clean again. Please
forgive me for my sin. Thank You for showing me unfailing grace. As You have so freely forgiven me, I also want to freely forgive others. Help me let go of the
things that have offended me and acknowledge when I have offended others. I release to You those who have hurt me, and I trust You to handle those situations
according to Your perfect will.”
06. ENGAGE IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE
“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
Spiritual warfare can seem difficult to understand, but the Bible makes it very clear that we have an enemy who is trying to steal from us, kill us, and destroy us. As we pray, we take our stand against the enemy and fight from a place of victory through Jesus as we’re empowered by His Holy Spirit. There is power in God’s Word, and every lie the enemy has told us can be replaced with God’s truth.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces
of evil in the heavenly realms. EPHESIANS 6:12
By recognizing that the enemy wants to destroy you, you can shed light on his lies and claim God’s truth over your life. Ask God to show you any lies you’re believing or areas of warfare happening in your life. Ask Him to expose the enemy and to help you understand and receive His truth. Simply speaking the name of Jesus has great power in the spiritual realm.
The Bible tells us in James 4:7 that if we resist the devil, he will flee from
us. Through prayer, we can resist him and walk forward in freedom.
PRAYER:
“God, I recognize that my struggles today aren’t against the people or circumstances around me, but against the enemy. Please help me to see how the enemy is lying to me. Help me to recognize his lies, take them captive, and
make all of my thoughts obedient to the truth of Your Word (list out any specific areas God shows you where you have believed a lie that needs to be replaced with His truth). While the enemy wants to destroy me, I know that You came to give me life to the fullest. I speak the name of Jesus over my life and declare that no weapon formed against me will prosper. I don’t have to fear the enemy because the One who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world.”
07. EXPRESS FAITH IN GOD’S ABILITY
“For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”
God is more than able to move in every situation, and ending our prayer time claiming His authority and power focuses our minds on the truth and hope of who
He is and what He can do.
Ah, Sovereign LORD, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for You. JEREMIAH 32:17
Remind yourself of God’s limitless power and then return to praising Him and declaring your faith in Him:
• “Yours is the Kingdom” – all authority belongs to You
• “Yours is the Power” – all mightiness flows from You
• “Yours is the Glory” – Your victory will be complete
PRAYER:
“Father God, nothing is too hard for You! Through Your great power, all things are possible. All authority is Yours, all might is Yours, and I know that Your victory
will be complete. You are amazing, and I worship You. I praise You for Your power and presence in my life. You are my God, and You are worthy of all
