Correct Prayer Posture

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be 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.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (Matthew 6:9-13)

A brother who recently began to seriously seek a relationship with GOD asked me recently for guidance on how to pray. People had been telling him that he should just talk with GOD as he would anyone else. I have heard that advice given as well…ridiculous. After all, we are talking about the being that made everyone and the earth they stand on, and the universe earth rotates in, and yet he is so attentive to you that He knows the exact number of hairs on your head (if you are bald, He also knows that). Don’t approach GOD as you would approach any other being. Humbly approach Him in all sincerity understanding that He knows everything about you. Understand that He is not subject to your imaginations or thoughts of Him, He is self-existent and always true to who He is as a merciful, righteous, holy, and all-powerful GOD. In all of that, know that you are yet dear to Him, and He sees you as His child, dependent on Him for everything that pertains to life, and He desires for you to thrive in His love for you through relationship with Him, from moment to moment. GOD came to earth in a perfectly expressed image of Himself, by word and by deed, in the person of Christ the Savior. GOD through Christ gave us guidelines for prayer based on the reality of our relationship with Him as the Father of all mankind.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

{The religious leaders in the day this prayer was given insisted on being honored by being called Father, much like what is practiced in Catholicism today. But Christ wanted to make it clear that mankind had only one spiritual Father, the GOD in heaven who created all of man. This is also an indication that we should aspire to be in His likeness since He alone has made us in His image.}

Your kingdom come. Your will be done

{Many people today speak about leaving their legacy, but our story is encapsulated within the greater story of the legacy and heritage of GOD. As children of GOD, our lives should be about fulfilling our callings or purposes in GOD, not about making a name for ourselves and doing what we imagine in our hearts with no consideration for the greater purposes of the Creator.}

On earth as it is in heaven.

{GOD’s throne is in heaven, but we should also enthrone Him in our hearts. Many people talk about our obedience will be perfected in heaven but we should dedicate our lives to seeing His will done in the “now”. GOD is good and when His sovereign will is manifested in the earth life is better for us all.}

Give us this day our daily bread.

{It is written that man shall not live by bread alone but by every word which proceeds from the mouth of GOD. God truly has instruction for us each day. This life is dynamic, meaning that each day can be unique with its challenges; however GOD knows all things and even as He is the Good Shepherd, He is ready to lead us daily through this journey of life. Daily bread refers to natural and spiritual provisions, nourishment for our body and soul.}

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

{When we approach GOD who is perfect, righteous, and holy, we are as naked before Him because there is nothing hidden from His sight, so He sees our faults and shortcomings, but He shows us mercy and gives us undeserved benefits. That being the case, we should make sure we show others the same mercy and grace that we require in His presence in our dealings with them. The Father sacrificed His son for our forgiveness before we even understood the debts we had accumulated.}

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one

{GOD is light, and He is rescuing us from darkness. Satan spreads darkness through promoting ideas contrary to life. Our lack of vision often causes us to desire and seek things contrary to our wellbeing. It takes a lot of love not to give people what they deserve when they are asking for trouble. This is a request for GOD to direct us in the way He knows best because we can’t see around corners as He does.}

For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.

{Why are we praying to our Heavenly Father? Because His will shapes reality for everyone whether they acknowledge it or not, both now and in perpetuity. We should acknowledge it every day in our prayers and our actions.}

Amen.

{So let it be.}