Weekly Update | April 21st
Prayer as Worship: The Method
Prayer is one of the most important, least utilized weapons in the believer’s arsenal against the enemy. We value prayer, yet many Christians spend less than 7 minutes a day in prayer. Worse, in a 2023 Pew Research Center Religious Landscape study, they found the percentage of Americans who pray decreased from 57% to 45% over 8 years. America is in a prayer drought.
It would benefit us to learn prayer from our Lord Jesus Christ, who teaches His disciples about how to pray in Luke 11:1-4. He teaches this shortly after the parable of the Good Samaritan and the account of Mary and Martha. Jesus has been dealing with the conduct of true disciples since Luke 11:25. The Parable of the Good Samaritan teaches that disciples of Jesus must love their neighbors. Jesus’ interaction with the sisters Mary and Martha teaches that disciples of Jesus listen to God’s Word. The beginning of Luke 11 teaches that disciples of Jesus pray.
Jesus had an established pattern of prayer in His life and ministry. In fact, Luke has well-documented that Jesus prayed surrounding every major moment in His ministry. He prays in that passage as He prepares to get baptized and the Holy Spirit descends on Him like a dove, and the Father says, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus withdraws to pray in Luke 5:16, shortly after healing the leper. He prays all night in Luke 6 before selecting the Twelve Disciples. He prays in Luke 9 during the Transfiguration. And He prays, fervently, in Luke 22, in the Garden of Gethsemane, before He would be crucified. Clearly, our Lord highly values prayer.
Luke 11:2-4 records what many of us know as “The Lord’s Prayer.” “Our Father, who art in Heaven…” Many even recite this prayer today, daily. While this prayer has value in recitation, it has a much deeper value. Instead of teaching us to pray these words verbatim, Jesus gives us this template to enhance our prayer life. A method for us to utilize to pray deeper, more meaningful prayers. It is no coincidence that Jesus, before speaking this prayer, says, “When you pray…” Our Lord expects us to pray. Not if, but when.
He gives this prayer as an answer to a disciple who asks Him how to pray. As such, one could also see this as “The Disciples’ Prayer.” The content of this prayer addresses three things.
“Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.” This prayer addresses Our God. We begin by addressing the God of the universe, with all authority, who loves us. Then, we lift high His name. The Old Testament is replete with examples of lifting the Lord’s name high. Psalm 30 moves us to “give thanks to His holy name.” Psalm 33 reminds us to “trust in His holy name.” Psalm 103 encourages us to “bless his holy name.” This is a much better way to begin prayer than simply launching into a laundry list of our wants!
“Give us each day our daily bread.” Second, the Disciples’ Prayer addresses our daily wants. We pray for the Lord to sustain us, as He did the Israelites in the wilderness in Exodus 16. This example reminds us of the manna God provided. He provided everything they would need for the day, but some would try to store up extra. hoard bread for later days. This bread went bad the next morning, forcing a total reliance on the Lord. So, too, are we not to place our trust in the material things of this life, but turn them over to the Lord, who supplies us with our daily needs.
“And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.” Third and last, the Disciples’ Prayer addresses our daily dangers. It is good for us to continually ask the Lord for forgiveness and to confess our sins to Him. 1 John 1:9 reminds us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” What a promise! We do not reach sinless perfection until we get to heaven, but during our time on this earth, as we are sanctified, let us continually confess our sins to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. That grace God has lavished on us, forgiving our sins, should then move us to forgive others. God has forgiven us of an unpayable debt; that forgiveness should move us to freely forgive others. Finally, we pray that the Lord would protect us or divert our paths away from situations where our weak flesh would sin.
I pray that this message encourages you to grow in your prayer life. TO spend more time with the Lord in prayer. Let me encourage you to spend time praying Scripture to the Lord; the Psalms are an excellent place to start. Read a verse, pray what it brings to your mind, and continue. May we be a people who pray more. True prayer is an act of worship that relies on God daily and seeks Him continually.
God Bless,
Pastor Brandon
Sunday Morning:
Sermon Text: Luke 11:5-13
Musical Selections:
This Is Our God
Honey In The Rock
Holy Spirit
Gratitude
God Turn It Around
Wednesday Service
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Youth (6th - 12th Grade) Girls: Acteens
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