Luke 11:5-13 He also said to them: “Suppose one of you[f] has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6 because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’[g] 7 Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s persistence,[h] he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
9 “So I say to you, keep asking,[i] and it will be given to you. Keep searching,[j] and you will find. Keep knocking,[k] and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son[l] asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give[m] the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”
People take these verses and run with them making it seem that if we pray and ask God for something that He will just provide it. Then when it doesn’t really work out that way, they try to discredit God and the Bible. The 6dont understand that there is more to those verses than just getting what you want out of life. Yes, God want to give us the good things in life, but there are conditions mentioned in the passages.
The point of prayer, I would think, is to be one aspect of communication with God. We have the Bible, which is Gods spoken word to us, and we have prayer, which is our spoken words to Him. A conversation, of sorts. Before we had instant messenger, or texting, we had email. We would send someone an email of thoughts or as an update. Then they might check their email a few later. Then it might take them a few days to respond. So then 5-7 days later, you'd get a response. God's Word was written about 3500 years ago, but we can read it now and we can pray to God and the same God who inspired the words in these pages hears our prayer today. So how can we get a proper idea of how to pray?
The Lord's prayer is like a form letter, you know what those are? A document or a form that you fill out online, it says "first Name here" and you click on it the words go away and the cursor pops up flashing. The Lord's prayer was not meant just to be a recited prayer during Church, it was intended to be a form to follow, insert your real information here.
So let's look at where the Lord's Prayer is mentioned in His Word.
Matthew 6
1“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
5“And when you pray, do not be
like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on
the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received
their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your
room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father,
who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they
think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before
you ask him.
9“This, then, is how you should
pray: “ ‘Our
Father in heaven, hallowed be
your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be
done, on earth as
it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as we also
have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation,a but deliver
us from the evil one.b ’14For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
3. Acknowledge dependence on Him. - Provision, forgiveness, protection
The purpose
of prayer is to bring our wills into alignment with him.
