Amen. Please, if you would, take your Bibles and open them up to the Gospel of Matthew.
We're walking through our mission and vision as a church family this month with an eye towards the theme of prayer.
Our mission, as we've said, is to magnify the glory of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
And the three ways that we've identified that we do that is by enjoying the Lord, by equipping the saints, and by evangelizing the lost.
So last week we saw that we enjoy God in prayer.
And this week, our aim, as we look to the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, verses 5-13, is that we might equip the saints to pray.
So if you would, follow along with me as I read our passage, Matthew 6, verses 5-13.
Pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.
Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Pray then like this.
Let's pray.
Lord, we thank you for the gift of prayer.
Father, we praise you for the wonderful privilege that it is that we can speak to you, the God of gods.
And that you hear us.
That you answer our prayers according to your infinite wisdom.
And so we pray now, we ask, Father, as your disciples asked, would you teach us to pray?
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
You may be seated.
Amen.
In 1535, a simple question from a German barber inspired what I have found to be one of the most helpful and insightful works on prayer that I've ever read.
Peter the barber.
He probably saw plenty of customers come in and out of his shop, but he had the privilege of serving as barber to at least one name that most of you would probably recognize.
He was barber to the great reformer Martin Luther.
At this time, Martin Luther was not popular.
In fact, many wanted him dead for his teachings against the false doctrines of the Catholic Church.
In fact, I would not be surprised if many would have loved for Barber Pete to make a strategic slip of the razor and put an end to Luther's teachings once and for all.
But instead, as Luther sat himself down in the chair and placed himself at Pete the barber's mercy, Peter the barber made a confession.
He said, I am struggling to pray.
I don't know where to start.
I don't know how to begin.
I am worried about the coldness of my heart towards God.
I am worried about the distance, the weakness of my prayers.
And knowing that Luther was a man of prayer, he asked him for some help.
And as a result, Luther wrote the simple short treatise.
It is called A Simple Way to Pray, subtitled for Master Peter the barber.
In this little work, what Luther does is he recommends taking several key texts and Christian documents.
The Apostles' Creed is one.
The Lord's Prayer, our passage this morning, is another.
The Ten Commandments is another.
And he recommends that you take one line at a time, one phrase at a time, and use each line as a launching pad, as a starting point for prayer.
It is very helpful.
In fact, I would recommend that each one of you, if you go home and look it up, it'll be easy to find.
It's called A Simple Way to Pray.
I would recommend each of you find it and put it into practice.
Very helpful.
Because Master Peter's problem, I believe, is not uncommon.
I think that if you and I were honest, we would say that prayer does not always come naturally to us.
We often struggle, as Pete the barber did, with prayer.
And we wonder why.
Well, prayer is a little bit, our discipline of prayer is a little bit like a muscle.
Where if we train it, if we use it, if we strengthen that muscle, then we get used to it, we become stronger in it.
But if we don't use that muscle, if we don't use that discipline, what happens?
It begins to weaken.
It begins to atrophy.
If we use this muscle of prayer, one hour in prayer with the Lord can feel like just a moment.
And when we don't, one moment of prayer can seem to feel like a lifetime.
On top of this, as we know, of course, our enemy does not want us to pray.
He loves our self-sufficiency.
He loves our independence.
He loves for us to go throughout our day with little to no thought of God.
He loves our plans, our decisions, our autonomy, our self-sufficiency.
And on top of this, the age that we live in does not make it easy to be a man or a woman committed to prayer.
Our digital addictions make moments of quiet and solitude almost impossible to get.
And when we do get them, it makes them almost unbearable because we're so dependent on distraction.
We live in an age where we're accustomed to fast results.
Everything is microwaved.
And the pace of information that we receive day in and day out harms the patience that's required for prayer.
And if we're honest, I think we would say that many of us, when we go to pray, have a hard time shaking the nagging feeling that we really ought to be doing something a little more productive.
What we need, like Master Peter, like the Lord's disciples in our passage this morning, is once again to be taught, to be equipped, how to pray.
And so following Luther's wisdom this morning, I want us to consider what Jesus teaches us and what he says about how we ought to pray by looking to the Lord's prayer.
So let's ask the question along with Pete, how do we pray?
How do we pray?
Well, first, very briefly here, Jesus tells us first how not to pray.
He gives us two ways not to pray here in verses 5 through 8.
He says, when you pray, don't pray hypocritically and don't pray ritualistically.
He says, don't pray hypocritically.
Look there to verse 5.
He says, when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.
For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners that they may be seen by others.
Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
We saw last week, didn't we, that the aim of prayer is delight in the Lord himself.
The aim of prayer is the enjoyment of God.
It's not a tool to be used to draw attention to yourself.
In fact, this whole chapter, Matthew chapter 6, with all of its instructions for giving to the poor,
for praying, for fasting, these practices of Christianity,
he starts it off with this preface here in verse 1.
He says, beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them.
For then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
In other words, if all you want is man's approval and man's attention,
then you can have it.
And that's all that you will have.
But he says, if your aim in prayer is to seek God's approval,
if your aim in prayer is to seek God's wisdom, God's will,
he says, when you pray, go into your room and shut the door.
And pray to your Father who is in secret.
And your Father who is in secret will reward you.
Now, of course, I think I need to say this.
This means, of course, that you shouldn't ever,
it does not mean that you shouldn't ever pray in public.
It does not mean that you shouldn't ever read your Bible in public,
that you shouldn't practice Christianity out in public.
I think it's a word of caution,
especially for people like myself who have a very public ministry of the word and prayer.
It's a word of caution that we have to constantly make sure
that the aim of our hearts in doing these things is not the approval of man,
but the approval of God.
Don't pray hypocritically.
But he also says, don't pray ritualistically.
What do I mean?
Look there to verse 7.
He says,
If praying hypocritically is using prayer to get other people to like you,
then praying ritualistically is using prayer to get God to like you.
If I just use the right words,
if I just have the right turn of phrase,
if I say the right words in the right combination,
then maybe, just maybe, God will listen to my prayers,
pay attention to my request,
and I will get what I want.
But he says, he makes it clear,
God isn't moved by the length of our prayers.
God isn't moved by the sum total of our words.
What's he moved by?
He's moved by the genuineness of our heart.
And he gives an excellent reason here
to pray simply and directly to the Lord, doesn't he?
He says,
Do not pray like them,
for your Father knows what you need
before you ask Him.
Your Father knows what you need
before you ask Him.
I've heard people ask before
in objecting to God's sovereignty,
meaning His complete knowledge of all things
and His complete control of all things,
that He is totally sovereign.
They say, well, if that's true,
if God is totally sovereign,
why pray?
If God is in total control,
why would I offer up any request to Him at all?
Well, Jesus says,
well, you've got that all backwards.
He says, because God already knows what you need,
pray.
And pray then like this,
not ritualistically,
but confidently and simply and clearly
with the confidence that our prayers
are not breaking news for God.
We aren't telling Him anything
that He doesn't already know.
We aren't tasked with coming up
with the right words
and the right order
and the right combination
to make Him pay attention
to our problems.
That's not the aim of our prayer.
It's not a ritual.
Don't pray hypocritically.
Don't pray ritualistically.
So then how are we to pray?
He tells us,
starting in verse 9.
Here's where we'll spend
the majority of our time together
this morning.
Second, He says,
pray then like this.
Verses 5 through 8
were how not to pray.
Now in verses 9 through 13,
Jesus instructs us how to pray.
The theologians have traditionally
divided these requests up
into six petitions.
This morning, what I want us to do
is I want us to think in terms
of two categories here.
The posture of our prayers
and the provision of our prayers.
These two categories here,
how to pray,
the posture,
how we are to go about prayer,
and the provision,
what we are to pray for.
First, let's think about
the posture of our prayers
because how we posture ourselves
in prayer matters, doesn't it?
The posture of our heart
matters just as much,
if not more,
than the words that come out
of our mouth
when we come to pray.
Jesus, of course,
He knows this
and so He tells us here
in verse 9
that we ought to pray
first in the posture
of a relationship.
The posture of a relationship
of a child
to a father.
Look there with me.
He says,
Pray then like this.
Our Father in heaven.
You know, we should marvel
at this.
The grace,
the gift that we
can call God
our own Father.
You know,
that's exactly the privilege
that we've been given
through the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
This is right at the core,
at the essence
of what it means
to be a Christian.
Now, whether or not
you've been coming to church
all your life
or maybe this is
new information to you,
I want you to know
this is at the very center
of what we believe
means to be a Christian.
To be a Christian
is to be an adopted
son or daughter
of God Himself
through faith
in the person
and work
of Jesus Christ.
Galatians chapter 4,
it tells us,
when the fullness
of time had come,
God sent forth
His Son,
born of a woman,
born under the law
to redeem those
who were under the law
so that we might receive
the adoption
as sons.
And because you are sons,
God has sent
the Spirit
of His Son
into our hearts,
crying,
Abba,
Father.
So you are no longer
a slave,
but a son.
And if a son,
then an heir
through God.
Do you pray
with the posture
of a child?
With the freedom
and the privilege
and the joy
of a child
coming to speak
with His Father?
J.I. Packer
in his wonderful book,
it's called
Knowing God,
he says this,
he says,
You hear that?
He goes on,
he says,
if this is not
the thought
that prompts
and controls
his worship
and prayers
and his whole
outlook on life,
it means that
he does not
understand Christianity
very well at all.
The simple posture
of a child
speaking with his
Father in Heaven,
that ought to be
our posture
in prayer.
And yet,
even so,
I want to
caution you
for a moment
that even though
we pray as
children of God,
we should not
ever mistake
the familiarity
of prayer
with flippancy,
with irreverence
to the Lord
in prayer.
This is our second
posture
in prayer.
We must pray
with a posture
of reverence,
the reverence
of a sinner,
in the presence
of a holy God.
And that's why
he tells us here
to pray
to our Father
in Heaven,
high and exalted,
far above
our greatest
imaginations,
far above
any earthly father
that we may have
had here in this life.
He says,
pray our Father
in Heaven,
hallowed be
your name.
Now your Bible
might have a note
there that explains
the meaning
of that phrase,
hallowed be your name.
That's not a word
or a term
that we tend to use
in our everyday life.
And my Bible
has a note there
that defines it.
It says,
let your name
be kept holy
or let your name
be treated
with reverence.
So we ought to pray
with the relationship
of a child
to a father
and we pray
with the reverence
of a sinner
to a holy God.
There has to be
a balance here
of both.
See,
God is not so far
from us
that sinners
can't speak
with him.
Christ solved
that problem
for us
and yet
he is not
so like us
that we ought
to speak
with him
carelessly
or irreverently.
He's still God.
That's what makes
the access
that we have
to him
in the name
of Christ
so incredible.
We have free access
to speak
with God himself
in Christ
but we shouldn't
speak with him
and treat him
so casually
that we forget
the reverence
and awe
that he's owed.
I had a seminary
professor
who was speaking
on prayer
and he said
one thing
that helped him
as a busy man
with a family,
a busy man
with a wife,
with children,
a busy man
with responsibilities
at the seminary
as a professor,
a busy man
as a pastor
of a church,
he made appointments
and he kept them.
He had to be very strategic
with his time
and when he had
an appointment
on his calendar
he made sure
that in that hour
in that 30 minutes
whatever it may be
whoever he was
sitting across the table
with had his full attention
for that moment.
He said
it's helpful for me
even in planning out
my prayers
with the Lord
to imagine
and to pretend
as if this is
a holy appointment
with God himself
and the respect
that I would give you
if you were in my office
sitting across from me
speaking with me
listening to me
interacting with me
I wouldn't be
checking my phone
I wouldn't be
aimlessly wondering
in my mind
you would have
my full attention
for the hour
of that appointment
he said
it's helpful for me
to schedule
appointed times
with the Lord
in prayer
and to know
that this holy appointment
is to be treated
with reverence
pray with a posture
of respect
and reverence
to the Lord
not only this
one more posture
here
he says
pray with the posture
of release
pray with the posture
of release
look there at verse 10
this is what he tells us
he says
we are to pray
your kingdom come
your will be done
not my kingdom come
not my will be done
your kingdom come
your will be done
on earth
as it is
in heaven
that's a prayer
of release
isn't it
release from our desires
our wants
our world
our kingdom
our plans
our hopes
in our way
and in our time
and instead
submitting it
into the hands
of a good
and holy God
we are called
to pray
submitting all
of our requests
whatever they may be
all of the requests
for provision
that we will see here
in just a moment
whatever they may be
with open hands
and not
controlling them
tightly
like we tend
to want to do
and not
gripping them
controlling them
not demanding
that they be answered
the way we want
in our way
but submitting them
to a good
and sovereign God
handing them back over
to your father
in heaven
who loves you
and cares for you
who always knows
best
your kingdom come
your will be done
on earth
as it is
in heaven
here in all and all
as it is
in heaven
here at Seaweed Bay
as our church family
here in this place
among us
as it is
in heaven
in my life
in my family
in the lives
of my children
in the plans
that I have
as it is
in heaven
do you pray
with an open
grip
on all of your plans
easier said
than done
isn't it
I don't think
we have a better
example
anywhere
than
the prayer
of our Lord
himself
in the garden
of Gethsemane
at the moment
of his death
was drawing near
Jesus
being fully God
and fully man
he prayed
Lord
if it is possible
take this cup
from me
yet nevertheless
not my will
but yours
be done
in his divinity
as God
Jesus
of course
he knew full well
what he signed up for
he knew full well
the plan of redemption
that had been
conceived before
the foundations
of the earth
he was in on the plan
as God
yet as man
he's prayed
and taught us
how to pray
with a posture
of release
to the sovereign
good will of God
yet not my will
he said
but yours
be done
that's release
do you pray like this
that ought to be
the posture
of our prayers
in blessed relationship
in holy reverence
and in submissive
release
to the will of God
and now
with that posture
now
we can begin to pray
for God's provision
let's look to the rest
of our passage here
in verses 11
through 13
and here
I want us to see
he models
for us
three prayers
of provision
three prayers
of provision
here
Jesus tells us
that we ought to
first pray
for the physical
provision
of God
now this one
comes naturally
to us
doesn't it
this one
if I had to guess
I would say
this one
probably dominates
most of our
prayer lives
most of our
prayer life
is spent
requesting
physical provision
from the Lord
look there
with me
to verse 11
he says
you ought to pray
give us this day
our daily bread
give us this day
our daily bread
we're used to praying
this sort of prayer
Lord meet our needs
meet our physical needs
but if we're honest
I would say
most of us
don't really know
what it's like
to pray
actually needing
daily bread
the Israelites
in the wilderness did
now this is a
a pointer
it's a reference
it's a call back
to the experience
of Israel
wandering through
the wilderness
for 40 years
and do you know
what they ate
for 40 years
every single day
do you remember
what it was
daily bread
truly
daily bread
that came from them
out of heaven
from the hand of God
dropped down
onto the ground
they ate it
every day
for 40 years
they were satisfied
not one of them
went hungry
they were provided
for with daily bread
40 years
in the wilderness
this miraculous
provision of God
but what we fail
to understand
is that
God has not
stopped miraculously
providing for
any of us
and each of us
are just as
dependent on the
Lord's daily
provision
as the Israelites
were in the wilderness
that wilderness
wandering
is meant to be
a lesson for us
as God's people
wandering
through the wilderness
wandering
on the way
to the promised land
that we are
dependent on the
hand of God
to provide
for our every need
church
we don't
feel
dependent
do we
we feel
so self-sufficient
we're lured
into this deception
that we
we don't
really need
God's hand
to provide for us
as much as
he actually
does
this is a reminder
for us
that we need
God to provide
for our every need
your home
is a gift
from God
your food
is a gift
from God
if God does not
provide you lunch
this afternoon
you don't eat
your clothing
is a gift
from God
I don't care
how rich
and successful
you are
how big of a
business
you've built
for yourself
all of it
from beginning
to end
is a gift
of God's
provision
we're dependent
on him
so he says
pray
give us this day
our daily bread
not only this
he says
second
we are to pray
for the forgiveness
of God
this is a transition
from the physical
to the spiritual
isn't it
pray for
the forgiveness
of God
he says
forgive us
our debts
as we have
also forgiven
our debtors
now if I had to guess
I would probably guess
that most of us
have an easier time
praying the first half
of that phrase
than the second half
don't we
we're much more
inclined to say
God forgive us
our debts
than we are to say
forgive us
as we have
forgiven others
aren't we
but there's a
correlation
here
these things
are connected
do you see
he says
forgive us
our sins
as we forgive
those who sin
against us
forgive us
our debts
as we forgive
our debtors
this is a prayer
for forgiveness
that would come
to us
yes
but that would also
come through us
to others
Matthew
tells a parable
just a few chapters
later
in Matthew chapter 18
you can turn there
if you'd like
it's called
the parable
of the unforgiving
servant
and in it
Peter
he asks the Lord
Lord how many times
am I to forgive
my brother
seven
that sounds like
a lot for us
right
if somebody wrongs
you seven times
and you forgive
them seven times
I feel like
we're doing
pretty good
seven
Lord
what does Jesus
say
he says
not seven
how about
77
Peter
and then he tells
them this parable
of a servant
who owed his
master
10,000
talents
now we don't
deal in
talents
so I'll just
tell you
10,000
talents
just so you
know
one talent
is equal to
about 20
years
labor
just one
so if you
work your
whole life
from cradle
to the grave
you might
maybe if you're
doing pretty
good
you might
can earn
yourself
five talents
this man
was indebted
10,000
talents
his more
than 2,000
lifetimes
could ever pay
back to his
master
and his
master
was fed
up
he was
ready to
sell him
off
with his
wife
and his
children
but the
servant
came
and he
begged
and he
pleaded
with his
master
please
master
have mercy
on me
please
master
have mercy
on me
I'll pay
back
every
cent
that I
owe
and so
Jesus
says his
master
shockingly
he did
two things
first he
released
him
no punishment
but second
even more
shocking
he forgave
him his
debt
he wiped
it
away
he forgave
it
totally
10,000
talents
wiped away
like that
in an instant
and if the story
were to stop
there it would be
a beautiful picture
of the heart
of God
towards sinners
like us
sinners like us
who have earned
ourselves an
infinite debt
before a holy
God
a debt that
none of us
could ever
begin to climb
out of
in our own
strength
a debt that
a thousand
lifetimes
could never
repay
yet by the
mercy
of a good
and gracious
God
he has
wiped
away
our debt
by the
blood
of Christ
and yet
the story
continues
the story
continues
look
what happens
next
as the
servant
goes
and finds
one of his
fellow servants
who owes him
a hundred
denarii
it's not a
small amount
a hundred
denarii is
about a hundred
days worth
of work
less than a
year
a much
smaller
debt
that was
owed to
him
than what
he was
just
forgiven
by his
master
and he
grabbed the
man that
owed him
the money
and he
grabbed him
by the
throat
and began
to choke
him
and he
threw him
into prison
until he
could pay
the money
back
and Jesus
says the
master heard
of this
and said
you wicked
servant
I forgave
you
all of your
debt
because you
pleaded with
me
I was
merciful to
you
I forgave
you
should you
not have
had mercy
on your
fellow servant
as I
had mercy
on you
and he
took the
servant
and threw
him to
the jailer
until he
paid off
everything
he owed
here's the
point
when Jesus
says
so also
my heavenly
father will
do to
every one
of you
if you
do not
forgive your
brother from
your heart
to this
parable
it's a
lesson of
forgiveness
again that
comes to
us
but does
not stop
there
it goes
through us
to others
see the
sure sign
of someone
who has
grasped
and understood
the forgiveness
that we've
been given
in Christ
is that we
are quick
to extend
forgiveness
to others
you know
that's
in fact the
commitment
that we've
made to
one another
here as a
church
as brothers
and sisters
that are
committed
and covenant
to one
another
in this
church
family
as members
of Seaweed Bay
Baptist Church
every one
of us
agrees to
what's
called a
church
covenant
that lists
out our
commitments
to one
another
and here's
what one
of the
articles
says
it says
we will
walk
together
in Christian
love
as we
care for
and watch
over one
another
seeking one
another's
spiritual
good at
all times
we will
pray for
encourage
warn
rebuke
and admonish
one another
as occasion
may require
we will be
slow to
take offense
and will
eagerly
seek
reconciliation
without
delay
forgiving
one another
as God
in Christ
has forgiven
us
church
do you
have any
debtors
do you
have anyone
who has
wronged
you
do you
have anyone
from whom
you are
withholding
forgiveness
holding a
grudge
withholding
mercy
because
they have
wronged
you
seven
times
even
77
times
this
prayer
is an
encouragement
for you
to remember
the debt
that you
have been
forgiven
of
by Christ
and then
to extend
that forgiveness
to others
1 John 1
9 tells us
that if we
confess our
sins
he is
faithful
and just
to forgive
us our
sins
and to
cleanse
us
from all
unrighteousness
so pray
for the
forgiveness
of God
to come
to you
and through
you
and then
finally
last one
here
he says
pray
for the
spiritual
protection
of God
pray for
the
spiritual
protection
of God
he says
in verse
13
and lead
us not
into
temptation
but deliver
us
from evil
I wonder
how often
do you pray
for your
spiritual
protection
not physical
protection
I know we
pray for that
I know we
pray for our
physical health
I know we
pray for
traveling
mercies
I know we
pray for
safety
and all those
things are
well and
good
that's valuable
to pray
and to ask
the Lord
but I
wonder
how often
we pray
for our
spiritual
protection
because the
truth is
the spiritual
dangers that
we face
are 1000
times worse
than any
physical threat
against us
and Jesus
wants us to
pray with this
perspective in
mind
if you think
it's dangerous
for you to
get in your
car and
drive down
the road
drive down
highway 17
and I
realize it
is
how much
more
dangerous
is it
for you to
be a
child of
God
living in
enemy
territory
how much
more dangerous
is it for
you to be
in exile
here in a
fallen world
to be facing
the powers
at work
against us
of spiritual
darkness
powers that
we can't
see
to be in
the crosshairs
of a spiritual
enemy that
prowls around
like a roaring
lion just
seeking somebody
to devour
are we aware
of the spiritual
dangers
that face us
every single
day
he says
pray
Lord lead
us not
into temptation
but deliver
us from
evil
church
temptation
is
common
to us
all
every one
of us
is tempted
to sin
every single
day
the question
is
is your
armor
up
are you
prayed up
and ready
before you
walk out the
door to head
to work
in the
morning
are you
aware
of the
inclinations
of your
own heart
are you
aware
of the
ways
the
enemy
has
succeeded
in tempting
you in the
past
are you
aware
of the
ways
that you
have
fallen
into
temptation
even
this
week
are you
crying
out
to
Christ
daily
for
help
in the
face
of
temptation
the
good
news
of the
gospel
the book
of Hebrews
tells us
that if
you are
tempted
take
heart
that we
do not
have a
high priest
who is
unable
to sympathize
with our
weakness
but one
who in
every
respect
has been
tempted
as we
are
he
understands
the
struggles
that we
face
with one
key
exception
yet
without
sin
he won
the battle
and Christ
took the
enemy's
best shot
and so he
says in
verse 16
let us
then with
confidence
draw near
to the
throne
of grace
that we
may receive
mercy
and find
grace
to help
in time
of need
church
are we
praying
for spiritual
protection
for protection
from the
temptations
of the
enemy
and for
the
deliverance
of the
Lord
from this
domain
of darkness
we ought
to pray
these things
with confidence
knowing
with full
confidence
that the
day of
the Lord
will soon
come
when the
Lord
will
return
he will
finally
and totally
deliver us
from all
evil
church
is that
your hope
is that
your prayer
see all
of our
prayers
all of
these prayers
that the
Lord
teaches us
and equips
us to
pray
all of
our prayers
for
protection
all of
our prayers
for
deliverance
for the
kingdom of
God
to come
all of
these
will
ultimately
and finally
be answered
at the
return
of
King
Jesus
when he
comes to
put an
end finally
to our
enemy
and to
finally put
an end
to sin
and temptation
once and
for all
to finally
deliver all
of his
people
from this
domain of
darkness
to finally
bring his
kingdom
to earth
is that
your hope
is that
your prayer
as we
aim to
grow in
prayer
this month
church
my
encouragement
for you
this morning
is to
listen to
Martin Luther's
advice to
Peter the
barber
take the
Lord's
prayer
as we've
just done
and as
we'll do
in just
a moment
and take
it even
this afternoon
take it
daily
this week
would be
my encouragement
for you
take it
into your
place of
prayer
and walk
slowly
through each
line
calling out
to the
Lord
using this
as a
springboard
for your
prayers
and let
the Lord
teach you
how to
pray
we're going
to go to
a time of
prayer now
as we
close
I'll pray
and then
we'll have
an opportunity
for us
to pray
silently
right where
we are
and then
I will lead
us in a
prayer
through this
text
through the
Lord's
prayer
as we
respond to
God's
word
together
let's
bow
and pray
Father
thank you
for listening
to our
prayers
we thank
you
Jesus
for teaching
us to
pray
we thank
you
Jesus
for modeling
prayer
for us
we thank
you
Jesus
for interceding
for us
as our
great high
priest
we thank
you for
the spirit
who intercedes
for the
will
for the
saints
according to
the will
of God
and we
pray
Lord
that you
would
continue
to teach
us
to pray
that you
might be
honored
that you
might move
in powerful
ways among
us
we pray
in Christ's
name
amen
let's pray
silently
where we
are
you
want to
go
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