They’re the One: The Lord’s Prayer
Hello friends,
Thank you for sharing feedback with us, whether it be through email, text, Facebook, etc. Anytime we receive feedback from you, it connects us and oftentimes creates a resonating of what God is doing in both/all of our lives. What a beautiful thing.
As we prepare to launch into a season of intercessory prayer with the They're the One project, we want to continue to equip you with the knowledge, tools and confidence to do this well. We mentioned last week that prayer is an important marker in a believer’s life, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy or instinctive - especially when it’s for someone else.
Even the disciples asked Jesus for help in this area (Luke 11:1). When Jesus taught the disciples how to pray, His first three words were a lesson in and of themselves, “When you pray…” (Luke 11:2a). The first step in learning how to pray is simply to do it.
When a baby walks for the first time, we don’t expect them to do it perfectly. We expect them to stumble and fall. Don’t allow anything to hinder you from prayer. You may stutter, fumble your words, pause and restart. God is not impressed by your eloquent speech anyway (Matthew 6:5). He wants and sees your heart. So pray imperfectly and pray often.
Jesus goes on to give more specific instructions on how to pray in Matthew’s Gospel by praying what is known as The Lord’s Prayer:
We could endlessly break down the beautiful intricacies of The Lord's Prayer, but for the purposes of this prayer project, we'd like to address the first couple of verses.
v9 Prayer begins by addressing God by Name
Jesus begins by addressing the Father by name: “Our Father”. There are many ways to address God: “Father, Lord, God.” Whatever is natural to you and reverent towards God, say that.
Jesus goes on to praise God's name: "hallowed be your name". Hallowed means holy, set apart, revered, honored. Shifting your prayers to begin with praising God for who He is causes you to pray differently. It reminds you of what He is capable of as the supreme ruler of everything.
We encourage you to meditate on the words of Jesus' prayer. Make them your own and pray them over your family, your children and beyond.
v10 Putting God’s will above our own
God’s will refers to the “redemptive and moral intent of God for this world and for God’s people” (Scott McKnight, Sermon on the Mount). Praying God’s will for our lives, or that of another, is “agreeing to work in accordance with His purposes so we can be active participants in what He’s accomplishing on earth” (Kelly Minter, When You Pray).
We know we are praying God's purposes when we pray in accordance to His Word. One of the most powerful ways to pray God’s will is to pray scripture back to God. What could be more accurate than to use God’s own words when talking to Him?
If you’re unsure where to start when it comes to God’s will or praying God’s Word back to Him, then consider starting with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Read it, study it, wrestle with it. The Lord is faithful when you call on Him (Psalm 4:3).
In the spirit of strengthening our prayer lives, we we want to ask that you pray for Joey and Cathy in their pursuit of all things JPM (upcoming missions, travel) and their continued good health. We want to praise God for providing a vehicle this month for a family in great need and also pray for God to provide another vehicle for yet another family.
We also want to ask you to email us with any prayer requests or praises you may have. We read and pray over every single one.
Next week we will dive deeper into intercessory prayer to really hone in on what is looks like to pray for someone else, especially as it relates to praying for the children of the JPM network and the They're the One project.
We hope you are encouraged by this word and feel you have more tools in your belt to carry out God's work in your prayer life.
Our praise and thanksgiving to God for you,
Joey & Cathy
