When You Don’t Know How To Pray - February 24

Read Matthew 6:9-13

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.”

Reflect

Do you follow a certain pattern or method when you pray?

Many new believers say, “I want to talk to God, I just don’t know how.” But what new believers may not know is that even people who have been Christians a long time sometimes struggle with prayer. Some people are intimidated by the idea of talking to the God of the universe, their Creator. To them, it’s like meeting the President or royalty. What in the world is little ole’ you supposed to say to such an important person? Others are afraid of doing it wrong and saying the wrong things. Still others don’t want to “trouble” God with their little problems. Is it ok to ask God for things? Doesn’t He have bigger issues to deal with in the world?

Thankfully, we don’t have to create a way to pray all on our own. In today’s verses, Jesus modeled prayer for us. You may recognize this passage of Scripture as “the Lord’s prayer.” It is often recited as a liturgy and many people have committed this passage of Scripture to memory. But Jesus didn’t intend for us to only recite this prayer verbatim. It also serves as an example, giving us a format of how to pray our own prayers.

Many commentators point out that Jesus made 6 petitions in His prayer. Of those 6, 3 are focused on God and 3 are focused on personal needs. Jesus began His prayer to the Father with adoration. He expressed praise to God for His holy name. Then, He prayed for God’s will to be done rather than His own. Sometimes, we treat prayer as if we are talking to a magic genie or placing our order at a restaurant. We spend the whole time telling God everything we want Him to do for us in our lives but we forget that we are supposed to submit to Him and yield to His will and His plan for us rather than our own.

But after Jesus submits to God’s will, He does make requests of the Father. He asks for Him to meet one of His basic daily needs—sustenance. When we ask God for the things that we want or need, we call it supplication. In Luke 22:42, we see another example of how submitting and supplication go together. On the night that Jesus was betrayed and arrested, He prayed fervently in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”  Jesus was not afraid to ask His Father for what He wanted. But prayed that the Father’s will would prevail over His own requests and showed that He was submitting in humble obedience to the Father.

Finally, Jesus dealt with sin. He didn’t have any sins that He needed God to forgive, of course.  But we all do! He modeled confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness while reminding us of God’s command to forgive others as well. Finally, He asked God for protection from evil and to keep Him from falling into temptation. Jesus’ example was simple, concise, and directly to the point. He demonstrated that you don’t have to be someone who has a way with beautiful, flowery words. Short, simple, and direct prayers are just as powerful as long, complex, and poetic prayers.

Another popular way to get into the habit of prayer is to follow the acronym ACTS. That stands for “adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication.” First, praise God, worshiping Him for who He is, naming many of His different attributes. Then, spend time in silent confession. Next, lift up your gratitude and thanks to God for what He’s done and for the ways that He’s answered your prayers already. Finally, make requests of God and humbly pray for Him to provide your needs (supplication).

When you pray, you don’t have to follow a formula. You can just pour your heart out to God (Psalm 62:8). But sometimes, it helps to have a model to follow. Whatever you do, don’t let not knowing how to pray keep you from seeking the Lord in prayer.

Respond

Father, I praise You because You are holy and deserving of all honor and glory (Adoration). I confess that sometimes my concerns about not knowing how to pray keep me from communicating with You. Please forgive me (Confession). Thank You for being the perfect example and for teaching me how to pray (Thanksgiving). Please help me grow and develop in my prayer life (Supplication). Amen.

Reveal

Share the ACTS model of prayer with another believer. Explain what each letter stands for and give praying that way together a try.