Use the following prayer approach as the basis of your prayers for yourself and those you desire to reach with life-transforming truth about Christ.  Do this 5-15 minutes daily for 30 days.  Be frequent, fervent, and specific as you pray these things into your life and the lives of others. 

The lips of Jesus outlined a way we should pray. The following is a way to be guided by his instructions on prayer. 

(Mat 6:9-13 NASB)  “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. {10} ‘Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. {11} ‘Give us this day our daily bread. {12} ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. {13} ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.’

In this prayer, I observe nine needs in our life and nine excellencies of God that guide us in the right praying. These speak of our true needs and his complete sufficiency to meet those needs. We are called to pray for these provisions.

  1. We pray as a Child to the Father (Matt 6:9a)
  2. We pray as a Worshipper to the Holy One (Matt 6:9b)
  3. We pray as a Soldier to the King (Matt 6:10a)
  4. We pray as a Servant to the Master (Matt 6:10b)
  5. We pray as a Beggar to the Provider (Matt 6:11)
  6. We pray as a Sinner to the Savior  (Matt 6:12a)
  7. We pray as a Suffer to the Redeemer (Matt 6:12b)
  8. We pray as the Tempted to the Protector (Matt 6:13a)
  9. We pray as a Target to the Deliverer  (Matt 6:14b)

Application:

1. Give 1-2 real-to-life examples for each of the nine areas above that illustrate how the Lord has been these things to you in meeting your needs throughout life. For example, “Lord, you showed yourself a Father to me when I was 18 by guiding me to develop my gifts and abilities that I now use, even when I was so confused about what career path to pursue. You are indeed a good Father. I worship and praise you for being my Father.” Begin each prayer statement with “Lord, you showed yourself a __________ to me by….. ” Go through each of the nine needs in life and nine excellencies of God in this manner.

2. In the like manner, give 1-2 real-to-life examples for each of the nine areas above that illustrate how you need the Lord to be those things to you currently. For example, “Lord, please show yourself a Father to me now by guiding me in what to do when I feel confused or worried about what I should do about my health problems. I wait on you and watch for your direction.”

In the end, faithful praying leads to greater demonstrations of the glories of God in and through the children of God.

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