Category Archives: Prayer

Hearing from God, Prayer

Experiencing Prayer with Jesus

Experiencing Prayer with Jesus, by Henry and Norman Blackaby provides a great framework for us to study the scripture regarding the example Jesus Christ set for us in His prayer life. There are many great scripture examples regarding prayer in Jesus’ life. I am sharing a few below.

Jesus encourages His disciples (and us as His followers today) to pray in Luke 18:1-8.

18 One day Jesus told his disciples a story to show that they should always pray and never give up. 2 “There was a judge in a certain city,” he said, “who neither feared God nor cared about people. 3 A widow of that city came to him repeatedly, saying, ‘Give me justice in this dispute with my enemy.’ 4 The judge ignored her for a while, but finally he said to himself, ‘I don’t fear God or care about people, 5 but this woman is driving me crazy. I’m going to see that she gets justice, because she is wearing me out with her constant requests!’”

6 Then the Lord said, “Learn a lesson from this unjust judge. 7 Even he rendered a just decision in the end. So don’t you think God will surely give justice to his chosen people who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will grant justice to them quickly! But when the Son of Man[a] returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?”

The disciples asked Jesus how to pray in Luke 11:1-13 because they could see He demonstrated a powerful and effective prayer life. He showed them first and then when asked, He explained further with words.

11 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

2 Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:[a]

“Father, may your name be kept holy.
    May your Kingdom come soon.
3 Give us each day the food we need,[b]
4 and forgive us our sins,
    as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.[c]”

5 Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, 6 ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ 7 And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ 8 But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.[d]

9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “You fathers—if your children ask[e] for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

I strongly encourage each of you to dive deeper into scripture and study how Jesus experienced prayer. In addition to reading scripture directly, I found it helpful to read Experiencing Prayer with Jesus. Henry and Norman Blackaby lead you through key elements in scripture and application in their lives and ministry.

  • Our purpose in prayer – to receive God’s instruction for our lives and become prepared to serve Him
  • Focus on receiving God’s agenda instead of bringing our own
  • Characteristics of Jesus’ prayer life
  • Pray for others
  • Pray for our daily needs
  • Pray for forgiveness and to be able to forgive others
  • Hearing God’s answers with certainty
  • Protection from temptation and from evil
  • Accomplishing God’s will
  • Honoring God’s name

Throughout the book there are leading questions to help you apply the key points of Jesus’ prayer life to your own life and develop an action plan to improve your prayer life to be more like that of Jesus.

I found much to challenge myself to develop a deeper and more passionate prayer life, modeling my behavior after that of Jesus.

Praise God for providing the example in Jesus Christ of how we are to relate to Him!

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Character of God, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Obeying God, Peace / Rest, Prayer, Thankfulness

Thank God For Doing It His Way

In Matthew 11:25-30, Jesus teaches us to thank God for how He decided to do things. Jesus also highlights what can often be a confusing point for many… that no one truly knows God except those to whom He reveals Himself.

25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!

27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

All too often in prayer we come to God to ask Him to do something differently. Jesus reminds us to thank God for doing things the way it is pleasing to Him. This demonstrates a lot of trust in God, even when we do not understand why He does something a certain way.

The second point Jesus makes about God choosing to reveal Himself to some, but implying not to others is difficult to fully digest for many. Studying all of scripture we see that both God and each individual have a role in building the relationship that ultimately draws us to God and to salvation through Jesus Christ.

I believe God was purposeful in putting the first two points together in one prayer in scripture. When we struggle to understand fully why God does something a certain way, He instructs us to trust that God has reasons for doing so and it is pleasing to Him. His ways are above our ways and we are unable to fully understand His perspective.

Jesus also invites us to come to Him when we are weary from suffering and “carrying heavy burdens”. He will help us. In particular, I have experienced many of the burdens I was bearing become lighter by growing closer to Jesus Christ. The more I understand what is truly important… advancing the kingdom of Go and serving Him… the less I am burdened by earthly concerns.

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Hearing from God, Homosexual Behavior, Interceding for Others, Obeying God, Suffering / Adversity, Wickedness / Evil

Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed

Genesis 9:1-29 continues from where Abraham had attempted to intercede for Sodom with God after hearing of God’s plan to destroy the city due to the sin of the people there. We learn about the importance of heeding warnings from God and following His instructions instead of doing things our way.

19 That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground. 2 “My lords,” he said, “come to my home to wash your feet, and be my guests for the night. You may then get up early in the morning and be on your way again.”

“Oh no,” they replied. “We’ll just spend the night out here in the city square.”

3 But Lot insisted, so at last they went home with him. Lot prepared a feast for them, complete with fresh bread made without yeast, and they ate. 4 But before they retired for the night, all the men of Sodom, young and old, came from all over the city and surrounded the house. 5 They shouted to Lot, “Where are the men who came to spend the night with you? Bring them out to us so we can have sex with them!”

6 So Lot stepped outside to talk to them, shutting the door behind him. 7 “Please, my brothers,” he begged, “don’t do such a wicked thing. 8 Look, I have two virgin daughters. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do with them as you wish. But please, leave these men alone, for they are my guests and are under my protection.”

9 “Stand back!” they shouted. “This fellow came to town as an outsider, and now he’s acting like our judge! We’ll treat you far worse than those other men!” And they lunged toward Lot to break down the door.

10 But the two angels[a] reached out, pulled Lot into the house, and bolted the door. 11 Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside.

12 Meanwhile, the angels questioned Lot. “Do you have any other relatives here in the city?” they asked. “Get them out of this place—your sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone else. 13 For we are about to destroy this city completely. The outcry against this place is so great it has reached the Lord, and he has sent us to destroy it.”

14 So Lot rushed out to tell his daughters’ fiancés, “Quick, get out of the city! The Lord is about to destroy it.” But the young men thought he was only joking.

15 At dawn the next morning the angels became insistent. “Hurry,” they said to Lot. “Take your wife and your two daughters who are here. Get out right now, or you will be swept away in the destruction of the city!”

16 When Lot still hesitated, the angels seized his hand and the hands of his wife and two daughters and rushed them to safety outside the city, for the Lord was merciful. 17 When they were safely out of the city, one of the angels ordered, “Run for your lives! And don’t look back or stop anywhere in the valley! Escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away!”

18 “Oh no, my lord!” Lot begged. 19 “You have been so gracious to me and saved my life, and you have shown such great kindness. But I cannot go to the mountains. Disaster would catch up to me there, and I would soon die. 20 See, there is a small village nearby. Please let me go there instead; don’t you see how small it is? Then my life will be saved.”

21 “All right,” the angel said, “I will grant your request. I will not destroy the little village. 22 But hurry! Escape to it, for I can do nothing until you arrive there.” (This explains why that village was known as Zoar, which means “little place.”)

23 Lot reached the village just as the sun was rising over the horizon. 24 Then the Lord rained down fire and burning sulfur from the sky on Sodom and Gomorrah. 25 He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation. 26 But Lot’s wife looked back as she was following behind him, and she turned into a pillar of salt.

27 Abraham got up early that morning and hurried out to the place where he had stood in the Lord’s presence. 28 He looked out across the plain toward Sodom and Gomorrah and watched as columns of smoke rose from the cities like smoke from a furnace.

29 But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.

God graciously provided an opportunity for Lot and his family to escape the destruction of Sodom based on Abraham’s request.  The scripture highlights several key points for us to consider:

  • Abraham as a righteous man was able to intercede on behalf of others and influence God to give Lot a chance to be saved.
  • The people of Sodom were held accountable for their sin and rejection of God despite the effort by Abraham to intercede.
  • Lot must have been aware of the sin of the people of Sodom and that it was a city filled with evil people. He showed foolishness in choosing to stay in Sodom with his family just because the grazing land for his flocks was nice and easy for him. He exposed his family to wickedness just to have it a little easier for his work.
  • When the angels came, Lot voluntarily received them into his home. They did not even ask, let alone force themselves into Lot’s home. Furthermore He even offered his protection for them when threatened by others. His hospitality and kindness in receiving them led to their sharing the warning. Scripture does not say, but if Lot would not have brought them into his home… would he still have received the warning from God?
  • To be clear, Lot was completely wrong to offer his daughters to the crowd even if well intended as an effort to protect his guests. It was not a godly response.
  • Lot’s daughters’ fiancés were not prepared to accept that God might be sending them a direct and urgent message that provided them an opportunity to avoid destruction. They assumed it more likely a joke than an actual warning from God. They died for their mistake.
  • Lot hesitated to leave… even after telling others that they should leave the city.  The angels insisted, taking him by hand along with his wife and two daughters to lead them out of the city. It is difficult to leave behind our comfortable lives and our possessions. Lot, with strong encouragement from God’s messengers, was finally able to do it. As a result he had a chance to save himself and his family.
  • Even as Lot was instructed to leave, he was worried about it being too hard in the mountains and asked for accommodation to be able to go to a small village.  Keep in mind, that God previously said He would not destroy Sodom if there were 10 righteous people there and the angel indicated God planned to destroy this village that Lot requested to go to. We can conclude this village was filled with wicked people just like the rest of the cities and villages in the plains.  Another poor decision by Lot. God in His grace, and to answer Abraham’s request for Lot, allowed it.
  • Lot’s wife was unable to follow God’s instructions as they left. She looked back on the sinful city of Sodom. It was her last mistake. When God offers to lead us away from harm, we should follow His instructions very closely.
  • When Abraham went to watch the destruction of the cities, he went to where he had recently met with God. In the toughest times, Abraham wanted to draw close to God.

Consider… are you prepared to listen to God’s instruction and obey as Abraham did consistently? or is it a struggle for you, like Lot, his daughters’ fiancés, and Lot’s wife?

Those who decide ahead of time to truly accept God’s will as the most important… more important than everything else… will be prepared to follow Him. Those who are lukewarm toward God will resist, torn between their love of money and things and their love of God. You can not have two masters. God must come first and above all else if you are to follow Him faithfully.

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Character of God, Consequences of Sin, Hearing from God, Interceding for Others, Righteousness / Serving God, Wickedness / Evil

Abraham Intercedes for Sodom

Genesis 18:16-33 gives us keen insight into the character of God and the relationship we can have with Him as His servants.

16 Then the men got up from their meal and looked out toward Sodom. As they left, Abraham went with them to send them on their way.

17 “Should I hide my plan from Abraham?” the Lord asked. 18 “For Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. 19 I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just. Then I will do for Abraham all that I have promised.”

20 So the Lord told Abraham, “I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant. 21 I am going down to see if their actions are as wicked as I have heard. If not, I want to know.”

22 The other men turned and headed toward Sodom, but the Lord remained with Abraham. 23 Abraham approached him and said, “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? 24 Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city—will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? 25 Surely you wouldn’t do such a thing, destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

26 And the Lord replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the entire city for their sake.”

27 Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my Lord, even though I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?”

And the Lord said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.”

29 Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?”

And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.”

30 “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak—suppose only thirty righteous people are found?”

And the Lord replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.”

31 Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue—suppose there are only twenty?”

And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the twenty.”

32 Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?”

And the Lord replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”

33 When the Lord had finished his conversation with Abraham, he went on his way, and Abraham returned to his tent.

Abraham intercedes on behalf of the city of Sodom, in particular on behalf of the righteous people who may live in the city of Sodom. Likely he was thinking about his own family through Lot that lived there, but may have genuinely been interceding for others as well. Despite a healthy fear and respect for God, and recognizing that God is about to unleash righteous wrath on Sodom, Abraham takes courage to intercede for others in a way that respects God but still asks for mercy on behalf of His righteous people.

How gracious of our all powerful God to allow those who serve Him to personally talk with Him… to discuss things. He listens to His righteous servants. In this case, it would seem He listens with great patience… as a father listening to questions from a son he loves.

We also see that God is not only love but also righteousness and judgment. We know from later in scripture that God destroys Sodom. How sad that He could not find 10 righteous  people in that sinful city.  The judgment God put in place for those sinful people was just. He does, however, provides an opportunity for Lot and his family to leave Sodom  before it is destroyed.

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How do I get started?, Prayer

Am I Doing All the Talking? or Am I Listening to God Also?

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All too often people can get into a prayer routine that launches directly into a list of things they want from God as if they were ordering off a drive through menu at a fast food restaurant. God is not a drive through or a vending machine where we come up and command Him to give us what we want. He is our holy creator. He knows what is best for us. He knows what we need even before we ask. He has plans for us that are better than we can anticipate ourselves.

We should come before Him regularly even when we do not have a list of wants. We develop a relationship with Him through reading His word and consistent prayer. We share our needs and wants as a child would with their father. We seek His guidance and then listen and wait for it. We must spend a significant amount of time in studying the scriptures and in prayer… listening, undistracted, expecting to hear an answer. Sometimes we must wait.

Jesus provides a simple but deliberate framework for prayer when we come before our holy God in Matthew 6:9-13.

9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
    as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,[a]
12 and forgive us our sins,
    as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,[b]
    but rescue us from the evil one.[c]

Jesus helps us frame our mindset in prayer to one that recognized and focuses on God first… His holiness, His kingdom, His will… all to be focal points for earth as they are in heaven. After reflecting on God our creator, then we come before Him humbly and ask for His provision of what we need. Yes we can include desires, wants… but notice the focus from Jesus is really on needs… daily bread, not wealth and comfort. Jesus further reminds us to come before God daily in prayer, not once in awhile or only when we want something we can not get for ourselves or only when we need Him to fix mistakes we made. Finally, we should never neglect to seek God’s help to resist temptation and traps of the evil one, Satan… who is a very real enemy who wishes to separate us from God.

Challenge yourself to focus more on honoring His kingdom, His name, His will in your personal prayers. Spend more time asking His guidance and listening for a response than listing your wants and telling Him what you need.

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Holy Spirit / Ruach HaKodesh, Prayer

Praying for Others

At times Christians feel a desire to intercede in prayer on someone else’s behalf.  There are multiple examples in the Bible of intercessory prayer from godly leaders. When we intercede, we do not come before God asking for worldly desires to be met, but rather we pray according to the character and word of God for those for whom we are interceding.

In Genesis 18:16-33, God reveals His plans for the destruction of  Sodom as judgment for their unrepentant sin. Abraham intercedes humbly before God on behalf of the righteous people that may live amongst the wicked in Sodom.

In Exodus 32:9-14, when God tells Moses that He will destroy the Israelite people for their blatant idolatry, Moses intercedes for the people. Moses changes God’s mind on this decision by highlighting  how their destruction may impede others from following God. He does not appeal to God in such a way as to say the punishment is inappropriate or harsh or undeserved… because Moses knows the punishment would be just.

Continuing to Exodus 32:30-35, Moses actually intercedes again asking forgiveness of the people’s sin, even at the expense of removing his own name from God’s record. In this case God decides instead to justly erase the names of those who sinned against Him and not to erase Moses’ name. The people were each held accountable for their own sins.

Of course the most obvious example of intercession on behalf of others is Jesus Christ Himself. He took our sins on the cross and died for us. He has interceded on our behalf such that our sins would be forgiven… for those of us who accept His gracious offer. Even as He was dying on the cross He was interceding… asking for God to forgive even those who were persecuting them.

34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” [Luke 23:34]

We should strive to listen closely to the Holy Spirit as well as look for guidance in the written word in regards to humbly interceding on someone’s behalf before our holy God.  We may not get what we ask for, but God will listen to a righteous prayer from a righteous servant.

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Hearing from God, Prayer

Keep on Asking

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Matthew 7:7-11 is part of what we commonly refer to as the Sermon on the Mount, in which Jesus is addressing His disciples regarding what it means to live a righteous life.

7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Jesus is deliberate in using the metaphor of a parent and a child to help put into context what He is teaching. Good parents want their children to come before them and express their desires… even if the parents are already aware of the situation. It shows respect, humility, and faith to ask for help. It reaffirms that you want their help and demonstrates you know you cannot do it yourself.

However, even when we listen… and love our children… we do not always give them specifically what they ask for. Instead we may give them what they need or something that better addresses their desires than even they can identify.

A few closing thoughts…

  • God loves us and wants to give us good things, even if they are different than that for which we ask.
  • The more time we spend with God in prayer and in His word, the better we will understand what to ask for that is most in line with God’s will and God’s character.
  • Jesus tells us to keep asking, seeking, and knocking. He does not say… “Stop asking me. I already heard you.” We may continue until we receive His answer.
  • Coming before Jesus with our requests also gives us an opportunity to spend time listening to what He may tell us. Prayer is more than a time just to make requests, but also a time to hear answers.

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Consequences of Sin, Hearing from God, How do I get started?, Prayer

What If God Is Silent When I pray?

Sometimes when we pray for something, even something that may be righteous and in line with God’s instruction, we do not hear back from God a “yes” or a “no” or even “later”. We hear silence. Our first reaction is often that God does not hear or does not care. The scriptures tell us differently.

Henry and Richard Blackaby cover this subject well in Hearing God’s Voice. There are several areas for personal reflection when we feel we are hearing nothing back from God in regards to our prayers.

If we allow sin to remain in our lives, God will not respond to our prayers. If we hear silence returned for prayers we may consider what sin we may have in our lives.

  • If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. [Psalm 66:18]
  • Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.  It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. [Isaiah 59:1-2]

Though all sin creates separation between ourselves and our holy God, the Bible highlights a few specific examples of sin that can impede our prayer life:

We must also consider whether or not we have faith for God to answer our prayer.

Ultimately we must learn to trust Jesus whether He answers our prayers with a “yes”, “no”, or “later”. We submit and declare “Your will be done, not mine.” If we hear only silence, we should spend time reflecting on any areas of sin in our life that may be separating us from God. We should repent, come before God humbly and ask forgiveness.  God hears and cares always.

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Hearing from God, How do I get started?, Prayer

Why Doesn’t God Answer My Prayer?

Sometimes it may feel like God is not answering our prayers. Often when we feel this way it is because we have asked for something and He did not give us the specific thing for which we asked. Because He did not say “yes” and “right now”, we feel like He did not hear, is not listening, or does not care.

For those of us that are parents or have even been around children, we recognize that giving them everything they ask for is not the answer that demonstrates the most wisdom or love for those children. They may ask to eat nothing but candy all day… and get a sick stomach, or ask to play in the street… and get hit by a car. We use our wisdom to decide when to answer “yes”,” no”, or “later”.

It is the same way with God. He loves us as His children and wants the best for us, but often times what we are asking for is not what is best for us. We must trust in God when He answers “yes” and when he answers “no”. So too when He has different timing than we had in mind… “yes, but later”.

Our prayers most honor God and are most likely to be answered with “yes” when we are praying for things that are pleasing to God and are in His will. Once again, this makes perfect sense to us when we think about children asking us for things. For example, if a child asks for eating candy all day the answer is “no”. If the child asks for an opportunity to take care of her little brother and show him love doing something he really likes… the answer is much more likely to be “yes” or “yes, but later”.

Sometimes God may hear and answer our prayer but it is in a different way than we expected or asked. We may ask God to grant us our desire to marry a particular individual that seems a great choice. God may deny this request and answer later by providing someone He knows will be a better choice in His timing. Similarly it could be the same individual but at a different time when we are better prepared for a successful, godly marriage.

One of the greatest examples of a “no” answer was when Jesus came in prayer before He was taken into custody to be crucified.

Matthew 26:39 [Jesus] went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Jesus asked for something, but willingly submitted to God’s will. Through an answer of “no” to the most righteous person ever to walk the earth, God provided a path to salvation for the rest of us through accepting Jesus Christ as our lord and savior.

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Fasting, Forgive Others / Seek Forgiveness, Grace / Forgiveness, Prayer

Prayer and Fasting

Jesus provides specific guidance on prayer and fasting in Matthew 6:5-18. Prayer and fasting are intended to be part of a personal relationship with God, not something intended for show or attention before men.

5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9 Pray like this:

Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be kept holy.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
    as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today the food we need,[a]
12 and forgive us our sins,
    as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,[b]
    but rescue us from the evil one.[c]

14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15 But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

16 “And when you fast, don’t make it obvious, as the hypocrites do, for they try to look miserable and disheveled so people will admire them for their fasting. I tell you the truth, that is the only reward they will ever get. 17 But when you fast, comb your hair[d] and wash your face. 18 Then no one will notice that you are fasting, except your Father, who knows what you do in private. And your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

God does not want us to perform “religious” activities like prayer or fasting as displays for men. He wants us to develop relationship with Him through these activities by doing them privately.

Jesus lays out in simple instructions the way we should come before God in prayer. It is not about memorizing and repeating words. Instead let the words of Jesus guide us in our approach to prayer before our holy God. Focus first on God… on His kingdom… on His will.  Then ask Him for our daily needs and provision. He intends for us to come before Him every day… not once in awhile. As an extension of our daily needs Jesus guides us specifically to go beyond our physical needs and to ask for forgiveness and for help to resist temptation and the evil one. Satan is real. He is not a metaphor. We need Jesus’ help daily to resist Satan and the traps he lays out for us.

Jesus also reminds us in this scripture that being forgiven by God goes hand-in-hand with forgiving others who you believe have sinned against you. This forgiveness does not mean you endorse or agree with what they did. It means you will not hold a grudge or hold bitterness against them for something in the past. If they wholeheartedly repent you accept them back joyfully and relationship is restored. Even for those who choose not to repent, you should be careful not to harbor bitterness in your heart. Bitterness hurts most the one who holds it.

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