Sunday February 26
The Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:9-13
By Pastor Luke Maggard
Today we kick off our Lent Sermon Series called Prayers Of The Bible. Each week we will be looking at a specific prayer found in Scripture. The goal with this sermon series is to be reminded that the Bible is full of prayers that we can use in our own prayer lives to recite, or use as a launching point in our prayers.
Along with that, these prayers also remind us that we can pray to God in all seasons of our lives. Whether things are going great, or not so great. Whether we understand everything that is happening, or maybe we don’t. No matter what is going on we can still pray to our Heavenly Father.
Every Sunday in this devotional Pastor Mara or I will share from the specific prayer that we will be looking at in the sermon, and then during the week five different people from our church carry along with the theme of the prayer from the Sunday sermon.
As we start this series on prayer it felt like the Lord’s Prayer was a great place for us to start. This is a prayer that many people know, and it is not uncommon to be recited in churches. It can be found in two different places in the Bible; Luke chapter 11 and Matthew chapter 6. These passages are very similar, with the Luke passages being a little bit shorter.
As we open the Lent season and think about what it means to pray, Jesus’ teaching on prayer here gives us a picture of what it can look like for us to pray. I love Pete Greig’s acronym for P.R.A.Y. which comes out of the Lord’s prayer. The acronym is Pause, Rejoice/Reflect, Ask, and Yield.
Whenever we pray all four of these pieces should be present, and in this order. Start by taking intentional time to pause, and settle your mind. We can have so many things running through our minds, so taking intentional time to stop is important.
Then take time to rejoice in God and reflect on His goodness. Jesus starts His prayer by saying, God Hallowed be your name. We should always take intentional time to glorify the name of our Heavenly Father.
Once we have paused and rejoiced in God we then move to asking Him to care for us and answer our needs. We see this in Jesus’ prayer from “give us this day our daily bread.” God wants to hear our prayer requests, so don’t be afraid to ask.
Our prayers can then end with Yielding to God’s will in our lives. It can be easy to let our own will get in the way, but we need to be willing to let God’s will be done in our lives over our own. Praying that out can be a powerful practice and important reminder.
As we move through the season of Lent let us be a church who P.R.A.Y.s.
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Monday, February 27th
You are A God Who Cares
By Ioan Sewell
Matthew 6:9-13
“This then is how you should pray; “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For your is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Lord, you know that I never learned to pray as a child or even understood what prayer was, but thank you for giving this example of how important prayer is for me as a follower of Christ. Helping me see that I have a Heavenly Father now who is guiding my steps each day is an overwhelming thought.
You are one who cares daily about what occurs on the earth. You are a concerned Father who cares about whether I eat or not. You are a loving Father who forgives and helps me when I mess up. You lovingly teach me the importance of forgiving others who wrong me but also cares enough for me to show the importance of learning how to overcome things that can pull me down and destroy me.
Thank you, Father, for reminding me that as your child, I have nothing to fear because you told me in your Word that my needs are already known by you before I even pray about them! Wow!” Matthew 6:8 “Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
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Tuesday February 28th
What does prayer mean to me?
By Andy Osman
An introduction of what it looks like for me to pray: I must first define the multiple meanings prayer has for me. Communication with God, both praying and listening about my concerns, praying about Bible scripture or sermons I have trouble understanding, praying for the needs or welfare for others, praying for the Holy Spirit to help in the salvation of others, praying for peace or comfort for someone going through difficult times, praying for the Church, country, and justice for all, praying for our Earth, and the hardest of all praying for my enemies.
Prayer is also praise to God. I recognize his omnipotence, power, glory, his blessings and grace. I experience the Spirit of the Lord in scriptures like “the Lord’s Prayer,” songs we sing like the Doxology, “How Great Thou Art,” “Because He Lives,” and many more.
The things that help me pray is quiet time when my mind freely explores my concerns about anything. When I am in the outdoors surrounded by God’s creation it helps me praise my Lord and Savior. When I’m driving long distances in my truck, with no music on, I find this a great time to pray.
What stands out most to me in Jesus’ teaching on prayer is what he cautions in Matthew 6:1-8. I do not wish to belittle the Lord’s Prayer in any way. God himself gave us this prayer, the Trinity, and I use verses from this prayer when I pray because they hold many truths.
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Wednesday, March 1st
On Wednesdays we want to take intentional time to stop and pray. As you read this, look up our passage for this week, Matthew 6:9-13, and pray that prayer. Each week we will bring up a specific thing or area we can be praying for. Today, pray for a friend or family member who doesn’t know Jesus, or is far from Him. If you can’t think of someone right away, ask Jesus to bring someone to mind today. If someone comes to mind, no matter who it is, take time to lift them up to Jesus.
Holy Spirit, we ask that you bring to mind who you are asking us to pray for. We ask that you would reveal yourself to them in a new, fresh way today. Use us how you see fit, O Lord.
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Thursday March 2nd
The Lord’s Prayer
By Curt Binnion
Matthew 6:9-13
Three points:
- Worship and consecration
- Request concerning personal needs
- Adoration
Structure of the prayer:
- Our Father in heaven
- Hallowed be your name
- Your Kingdom come
- Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
By structure the first thing is the worship of God and our personal, deliberate dedication to Him.
Next, move onto your request. Specific request for personal needs. This is where you give your best. Rember, “give us this day our daily,” is about specific need. Secondly, “forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.” This is about grace. “Lead us not into temptation.” Humility or in my case, Lord I do not seek to be tested today, bu if I am Lord keep me from evil.
Lastly “Yours is the kingdom and power and the glory.”
This is huge because you recognize in you the confidence that the Lord is Lord. His Kingdom is the glory and certainly He has power.
I am reminded of two things from my youth about the Lord’s prayer. 1) it was always present on a plaque hanging above our kitchen table.
2) One of my Sunday School teachers, I believe Charlie Collins prayed like this. “ O Lord, hear the plea of my heart. Thank you for your supplication today. Amen”
You may not always need to shout to get God’s attention, but at the end of your prayer you must have peace.
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Friday, March 3rd
“Teach us to Pray”
By Pastor Barb Tuttle
Matthew 6:9-13 (NLT)
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,12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. 13 And don’t let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one.
God loves it when you come to Him. Start each morning reaching out to Him. He will meet you where you are. He listens, willing to provide for you, forgive you, and protect you. Find a quiet place and picture yourself, sitting at God’s feet, sharing with Him your joys and sorrows, your mistakes, and resentments. Laughing and crying together as you are encouraged and strengthened, comforted, and reassured. Through our conversations God reveals His direction for us, helps us to see clearly, and restores us. God loves it when you come to Him. Reach out to Him today.
Dear Lord, Help me to remember to come to you when things are good and when things are not good. Help me Lord, to seek you first in all things. Amen
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Saturday, March 4th
Prayer of Repentance
Every Saturday we will have a prayer that we can pray ourselves to focus on repenting of our sins, and receiving forgiveness for them. It will be the same prayer each week. It is a prayer by John Wesely, the father of the Methodist movement, that is called Forgive Our Sins. We would encourage you to take a few moments and pray this prayer and confess your sins to God. He will hear you, and will forgive you.
Forgive them all, O Lord:
our sins of omission and our sins of commission;
the sins of our youth and the sins of our riper years;
the sins of our souls and the sins of our bodies;
our secret and our more open sins;
our sins of ignorance and surprise,
…..and our more deliberate and presumptuous sins;
the sins we have done to please others;
the sins we know and remember,
…..and the sins we have forgotten;
the sins we have striven to hide from others
….and the sins by which we have made others offend;
forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all for his sake, who died for our sins and rose for our justification,.and now stands at thy right hand to make intercession for us, Jesus Christ our Lord.
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