Jesus has been teaching us a more excellent way to pray using the pattern of the Lord’s prayer. It begins by focusing on God- His praise and his priorities. So we began by praising God as our Father and honoring his holy name. Then we aligned ourselves to God’s priorities- seeking first his kingdom and his will to be done in our lives. It is after this that our glorious King graciously invites us to present our requests before him. He is happy to hear even our requests for daily bread.
It is our daily bread- our physical needs that so often people worry about. Jesus seems to almost gently laugh at the thought of worrying about food and clothing (Read Mt.6:25-34). He had just taught us to pray to our Father in heaven who is so great. We saw he is so amazing that 900 different names and titles are showered upon him in Scripture. So how silly to worry about food and clothing. He is our devoted Father. We are to “seek first the kingdom of God.” The appropriate way to pray about any such earthly concerns is given to us by Paul, “Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” Phil.4:6 NLT. (Worry and worship don’t fellowship together.) It’s interesting to note how little ink Paul gave to praying for others' physical needs. But he certainly wrote a lot about praying for the spiritual needs and growth of others. Would you like to see?
G.a- Click the following link and you’ll see a very helpful arrangement of Paul’s prayers. http://www.regent.edu/lib/research/divinity/divinity-paul.pdf
Pick out one that you’d like to use when praying for others. Please share that with us now. Feel free to use another translation or paraphrase it. And if you wish, share anything that you especially liked about it.
Pick out one that you’d like to use when praying for others. Please share that with us now. Feel free to use another translation or paraphrase it. And if you wish, share anything that you especially liked about it.
G.b- Write the most important part of that verse on your MP3 card and then do the “Did it.” As you look over that powerful prayer you picked, please pray it for your loved ones, teammates and even your future protégés. One day you can look at them and say, “I’ve been praying for you before I even met you!”
G.c- With how many individuals or groups did you share the riches on your MP3 card, since you posted yesterday?
Yes, the Lord invites us to pray about our daily bread- the physical provisions that we need such as for food, clothing, income and health concerns. But now you are armed with a powerful prayer to help others spiritually. This seems to be far more important in God’s priorities. When praying, I don’t always know what to pray- Does God want to miraculously heal this elderly person? But I always know that God wants to improve their spiritual health.
Speaking of spiritual health, do you ever wish you had a guide for praying more significantly for the spiritual health of your family? Then pray for your FAMILY members that they would be Faithful, with A+Attitudes, that they would become Mature in character, that they would be Influencers for the kingdom, Loving, and Yoked to good spouses.
Speaking of spiritual health, do you ever wish you had a guide for praying more significantly for the spiritual health of your family? Then pray for your FAMILY members that they would be Faithful, with A+Attitudes, that they would become Mature in character, that they would be Influencers for the kingdom, Loving, and Yoked to good spouses.
I’m so glad God is giving you such great daily bread from his word. Feel free to share it with others. I had a friend from seminary days who would ask me, “Got any fresh bread?” Yes, you and I do- hot out of the oven of Scripture today. Best of all, Jesus is the bread of life. "If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." John 6:51
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We've been learning a lot about prayer. We can and should pray for our daily bread. But prayer is no substitute for not going off to work to provide for our family. God's word even declares, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he is worse than an unbeliever." 1 Tim.5:8. Wow! So beware or lazy loafers- those who don't bring home the bread. Down the road, as you think about who to pick to be a protege, avoid men who make poor excuses for being poor and not working.
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We've been learning a lot about prayer. We can and should pray for our daily bread. But prayer is no substitute for not going off to work to provide for our family. God's word even declares, "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he is worse than an unbeliever." 1 Tim.5:8. Wow! So beware or lazy loafers- those who don't bring home the bread. Down the road, as you think about who to pick to be a protege, avoid men who make poor excuses for being poor and not working.
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