Jesus Always Honored His Father: Matthew 6:9-13
Prayer was such an important part of Jesus’ lifestyle that He would break away from the crowds that followed Him to go and pray to His Father (Matthew 14:23). Often He would go alone up on a mountain or into a secluded place. One day the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. What Jesus taught them is known as the Lord’s prayer and it is an example of how we can pray as well.
The original King James Version uses old English that we don’t use today. However, many of us may have memorized it when we were children. The following is from the New King James version.
“Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.(holy and praise be to Your name ) Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one (or evil). For Yours is the kingdom and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.”
This prayer was given to the disciples before Jesus went to the cross. After Jesus died, rose from the dead, and went up to heaven, the old covenant of law (Old Testament/agreement) was fulfilled. Jesus brought the new covenant (New Testament) of grace and truth through faith which was paid by His shed blood. Should we pray this prayer today or use it as an example of how to pray?
We can use this example for prayer, but keep in mind that this was directed to the Jewish people during Jesus’ time as they were transitioning from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Jesus was the fulfillment of the Old Testament because He came to be the perfect sacrifice that would pay for our sins once and for all if we accept Him into our hearts and make Him our Lord and Savior.
As we start with the prayer, we should give praise and honor to God our Father. As we continue in prayer we can pray for spiritual and physical needs. Today, as a Christian, the kingdom of God is within us because Jesus our king reigns in our hearts. We ask for His will to be done in our lives. We can also ask for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Is it God’s will to heal, to forgive, to save? Yes, so let's pray for others as well.
Jesus is our daily bread and as we read, hear, and study the Word we are able to feed our spirit being and grow in faith. We can also pray for our physical needs to be met. Thank God we have our debts or sins forgiven because of Jesus. When we ask Him to forgive us of our sins and we receive Him by faith, we are forgiven. As we have been forgiven, we should also forgive those that have sinned against us.
Does God lead us into temptation if we don’t pray against it? James 1:13-15 says that God does not tempt man but man is tempted by his own desires. We are to pray that God delivers us when we are going through trials and temptations. God says that He will never allow temptations that are more than we can handle (I Cor. 10:13). Temptations can include unbelief, doubt, and fear. Finally, glory, honor, and power are the Lords Amen. As Christians, we conclude or include the name of Jesus in our prayers (John 14:13-14) because the power is in the name of Jesus (Phil. 2:9-10).
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Personal Development Tip of the week:
Ever consider starting something new around your creative interests or passions? Whatever that might be you must realize that whenever you begin something new it begins small. Don’t let this discourage you and remember that anything worthwhile in your life takes time to build but if you can stay faithful putting in the work each day God will bless what you are working on because He cares about you and your passions.
I remember when I decided to start sharing my faith on social media. No one knew me and I had to start where everyone starts, at 0. I didn’t let this discourage me though because I knew God was directing me to do this and I let that and my joy for making encouraging videos lead me each day. The biggest thing for me, in the beginning, was not how can I get people to watch the videos I’m making but more, Who am I going to become as a result of working on this every single day? That question above all even today looking back over 2 years now has been much more impactful to my personal and spiritual growth than the number of people I have been able to reach with my message.
God is more concerned with who you become while you are here on earth vs. what you get and if you can find something that gets you excited each day for the progress you are going to make personal and spiritually I have no doubt you are going to accomplish great things. Don’t discount the small beginnings. Be faithful in the little and God will bless you above and beyond where you are at in time.
Question for you? What is a passion or interest of yours you would like to share with the world?
Prayer for the week
Thank You Lord that You are with me always and I can depend on You to strengthen me when I have fear. Fear of facing uncomfortable situations, not knowing if something will turn out good or not, making the right decisions, and handling difficulties are some of life’s challenges that cause stress. I speak peace and victory over my situation and fear you must leave me now in Jesus name, Amen.
PS. If you would like to support us consider checking out www.litwithprayer.com and picking up our devotional prayer journal to our new pieces of Christian-based Jewelry.
Do you know Jesus?
If you have never asked Jesus to be the leader of your life and forgive you of all your sins, this is the right time to act. Pray this simple prayer and believe it in your heart: “Dear God, Your Word says that You loved me so much that You sent Your Son Jesus to die on the cross for me. I want to be saved and have all my sins forgiven, past, present, and future. Forgive me now as I receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. You promised me salvation and an abundant life. I believe and receive Your free gift. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me grow stronger in You each day, in Jesus name I pray, Amen.” (John 3:16)
Jesus Always Honored His Father